How much have I defined myself by my role as a missionary in Paraguay? My challenge now is to focus on character instead of roles. Roles often change - no longer a missionary to a foreign field. But character traits carryover. Character must increase - that missionary to a foreign field role must decrease. "He must increase; I must decrease." I am opening myself to be searched by God during this transition, so that I might grow through it, finish well, and ultimately hear the One who truly knows me say, "Well done." Coming to an end of a life...

January 2nd Paul left with Dave the director of Open Door, and a seminary student for Myanmar. Many of us remember it as Burma. Their 10 days there have been ones of teaching in the seminary, preaching, and then traveling to another area of the country to minister to national missionaries. They are now waiting several hours in the Yangon airport for the long journey back home. I've been so thankful for the chance to talk to him at least twice a day. While it is 9am my time, it is 8:30 pm their time. Yes, 12 and one half...

2020 is a new year with new things with which to begin. A new Bible to read daily, a new diary to journal the year, and a new devotional notebook, These will be my faithful companions. I don't doubt that I will reach my goals to read God's Word daily, nor to write in my diary daily. My devos notebook will be a little different from last year, but I am excited about the plan I am undertaking. But there are hopes and dreams for 2020 that I didn't strive for in 2019 that I plan and pray for this...

It's hard to believe that I have neglected the website for so long! But I need to get back into life as we are now experiencing after life as I knew it for so many years. I miss our lives in Paraguay so much! I miss our brothers and sisters there. Transition to the USA and to a new ministry with the Open Door Baptist Missions has been hard, yet good at the same time. Hard because I realize how much of who I am is related to Paraguay and my life there. Forty years of friendships there compared to...

Paul was asked to give the first day's studies on Samson. He spoke this morning at 9AM and will again tonight. May God use these messages to open their hearts and lives to put their confidence in God and following His way! The mornings begin with personal devotions, breakfast, and then counselor devotions in the open air of the campgrounds. Pray as the counselors and the ones speaking encourage the young people to make sure their eternity is sure in Christ and that their young lives are counting for His glory.

How wonderful to have a Christmas celebration with our kids and grandkids here in Paraguay! How many times has that happened since our kids left home so many years ago. Maybe 2 or 3 times? So to celebrate Christ's birth with some of our kids and grandchildren in our home was a dream come true. Sharing this little guy, Daniel Paul, with our church people was pure joy! Loving on our grandchildren....and experiencing our 5 month old Daniel Paul. We were in Church at 8AM on Christmas morning where Paul preached and I had two of our grandchildren in my...

Youth camp this year was once again a beautiful sight of young people coming from several areas of Paraguay from the churches our group serves. Pastor Juan Carlos Mancuello and his wife Hilda were the directors of this year's camp. He pastors our sister church in Encarnacion. Climbing the hill behind camp is always an important activity of the week. Paul had one session to the young men about ministry. He again spoke on Banquet Night shown here. Ruth Gomez who is Arnaldo's niece was singing a special number that night. Special friends are made each year during camp week. ...

Our daughter and our four Silva grandchildren arrived for a 2 week visit ahead of our son-in-love who later came for a visit with his Paraguayan family. What a blessing it was to have them in our home for the first time in 7 years. Gabriel was experiencing Paraguay for the first time. The other three children were too young to remember very much from their first visit. After retrieving them from the airport, we took them to our famous ice cream/hamburger shop at Kilometer 44. Right away they were able to visit the two churches where we minister every...

It does not seem like too many years ago we launched into a new ministry in a neighborhood outside of Asuncion. We had two small children and one on the way. Fast forward 35 years and Paul was invited to speak at the Youth Retreat celebrating the beginning of spring at the Maranatha Baptist Church of Palma Loma. Our thirteen teens from Bethel Baptist Church of Tobati participated in this youth event. The new Pastor Esteban Ramirez of the Palma Loma Baptist Church was one of Marla’s students in Sunday School so many years ago. The Word...

It is the first day of spring in Paraguay and Marla, the love of my life, celebrates another year since her birth. She has invested thirty-seven of those years with me as a missionary. Her joy and perserverance continually encourage me. I am blessed to spend the day with her and to have the privilege to call her my wife. Sweetheart, may God bless and keep you as we continue to serve Him. Your Paul loves you

God has given me the very special privilege to be present at the birth of our three Wright grandsons. Not every daughter would want her mother in the room with her as she delivers. I am so thankful to have witnessed that miraculous event along with Jim. Caleb - 13, Grace-11, and Andrew-7 were at home just waiting to have their first look at their little brother. The Wrights and the Fields were there welcoming in their 9th grandchild on both sides. Uncle Ben and Aunt Sabrina and Baby Catherine had their chance to meet their new nephew and cousin. ...

Today we enjoyed a nice meal at Los Alpes, in San Bernadino no less (Paraguay). We talked about our mothers, our three children, their wonderful spouses and each of our almost 9 grandchildren. What an impact you have made on my life. Thank you My Love for gracing our lives, for showing Christ's love daily in innumerable ways. Your spiritual fingerprints are all over the lives of so many in our beloved Paraguay. Your quiet and empathizing spirit has drawn many needs from hurting hearts. Hours invested with listening ears, spoken Scripture and prayer, as you remind...

Labor day or Dia de los trabajadores is celebrated world wide. Today we grilled beef ribs and had Paraguayan cornbread, manioc,chorizos, potato salad and cabbage salad. It was a nice celebration with those who so faithfully work with us.

Ben and Sabrina and Baby Catherine were the very last ones coming through the door to greet us. How excited we were to start our week together. Ben had not been back to his country of birth for 13 years. It was going to be Sabrina's first visit to Paraguay, so we were anxious to see our adopted country through her eyes. Of course we were very anxious to get Baby Catherine in our arms after her almost 24 hour trip to see her Grandpapi and Grandmami. Ben and Sabrina are professional photographers and videographers so they came prepared to...

This coming Friday we are expecting a week long visit from our son Benjamin, Sabrina, and 13 month old Catherine. How exciting to have Ben back after a 13 year absence from his country of birth. We have always wanted his bride to experience Paraguay since their marriage, and now we will have the added joy of our little granddaughter being in our home. Can you tell I'm excited? Come on down! We're here waiting for you!

Camp for the youth of our association of churches began on January 11th. A whopping 135 plus (because we never are really sure of the number!) came to hear the Word of God for the entire week. Each morning at 9AM different men preached to the group of young people. Paul spoke on Thursday to the group. As I sat and listened, I was so thankful for how attentive they seemed to be. Outside Big ball volleyball Inside Normal volleyball Girls and guys soccer of course! Morning devotions in small groups The water slide on these hot and humid January...

Paul has been in Kenya for the last week. The Lord blessed last Sunday as I preached with Brother Paul translating. Papa was there in his usual place at the back of the church. It is always a blessing to fellowship with God's people. The Lord is bringing healing for Papa after Mama Fields passed away on October 13 at age 94. “I miss my Sweetheart,” I heard many times a day as testimony to 66 years of marriage union interrupted by our last enemy, death. It has been one month since she went to Glory but she will always...

Opal Madeline Stogdill York Sunrise January 8, 1924 Sunset October 18, 2015 The legacy of a life that loved God and served Him faithfully. Opal’s childhood was during the depression era when people had to work hard for the few things that they possessed. She enjoyed very few of life’s comforts that we have today yet she never thought of herself as being poor. Homeless people would come by their home for which her mother would always prepare some food. Her children saw that same generosity for the down and out while she served as pastor’s wife...

The Bethel Baptist Church in Almada had the most kids attend. In fact they had double of what they were expecting which caused for some last minute changes to the program. But of course, we thank God for those kinds of unexpected surprises. I'm late in posting about everything recently! But I can't forget to thank God publicly for the good turn out for Kids' day in Paraguay. It's celebrated on August 16th every year. The outreach in the three churches this year was organized by the youth institute students who study with us every Saturday from 4-6pm at...

My last night at Mama's was a time of just loving on her before we said goodnight. The next day I flew back to Paraguay to be with my wonderful husband. After caring for Mama with my sister Debi for a month, I know now how to pray for my sister Debi who is left to care for her and to assure that someone is with her while she continues to work. My sister is adjusting her work schedule so that she can continue to be the primary caregiver for our sweet Mama. Now my responsibility from here is to...

Mikeila Jean Silva Fields is her official name since she was born in Paraguay thirteen years ago. We were able to write and talk to her on her birthday. How we miss celebrating important events in the lives of our grandchildren. More so, we are so thankful for the way they are following the Lord under the guidance of their wonderful parents. We are immeasurably blessed!

How to interpret the Scriptures and deliver God's Word to the people is an exciting theme to explore. Eleven men from the Bethel Baptist Church will study Hermeneutics one Friday and work on messages the next week. Pray that we will be able to maximize this potential.

Maples Rehab discharged Mama on August 5. She is clear of her pneumonia but on oxygen. Thank you for each of you who have been praying. A church ministry team from Arkansas had installed a ramp and “Home Care” installed four handrails. Mama was so happy to be home. Snapping green beans was just what she needed to complete her homecoming. Jim and Jenna Wright were able to come for a few days to see their grandma and mother. Marla is so thankful that she can be there at this time to minister to her family.

Events in life change dramatically. Just two weeks ago the staff at Maples Rehab estimated that Mama would be discharged to go home in another week. On July 16th she was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia and experienced a general decline in her health. Speech and congnative abilities became impaired indicating a possible mini-stroke. We began making plans for Marla to travel from Paraguay to Missouri to be with her 91 year old mother who requested that she come. The love of my life leaves tomorrow, July 28th. We pray that she will be of comfort to her mother and...

Mama was taken to the ER due to her foot that was not healing. They admitted her right away and did surgery to open up a blocked artery which could have caused her to lose her foot. Thankfully the surgery was successful. While in the hospital that lasted a week, her best day was when pet therapy came visiting. It was I think the highlight of her stay. She was taken by ambulance to Maples Rehabilitation Center in Springfield, MO not far from her home. This was her first morning there where they began physical therapy. By her 3rd day...

May 15th is mother's day in Paraguay. I talked to Mama on Sunday but just now I got off the phone with her. I'm so thankful for my sister who lives with her and cares for her during this more difficult time in my mother's life. It's hard for Mama at this stage of life due to her poor eyesight, her swollen leg, her need to use a walker to get around, and recently her propensity to fall often. Just recently she was taken to the ER for a gash in her head after falling. I want my mother to...

Paul and I always feel it is a privilege when we are invited back to speak at the Maranatha Baptist Church of Palma Loma where our ministry in Paraguay began. Paul was asked to teach SS and preach the morning service. Their yearly tradition is to take a picture of the group before the celebration meal. A very unexpected and joyful surprise were some visiting siblings who were a part of the church during those first four years of the church. They now live in Argentina but came knowing that they could see their first pastor. They were just kids...

I had the privilege of flying from Greenville, SC to Springfield, MO on Frequent Flyer Miles. Hurray! I spent a week with my family there. My mother, Opal York, looked so good. Little did we know that we would spend 3 days in the hospital with her after this picture was taken. She was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. My brothers and sister were there with me as we hoped for her recovery. We brought Mama home thanking God that we still have our mother. My sister, Debi, lives with her and her son and cares for her. I amd...

Saying goodbye to my love on February 11th, 2015 at the airport. It's not easy to leave your husband for five weeks. Know that it was sacrificial love on his part. God allowed me to keep my special record of being at the birth of our 8 grandchildren so far. Starting out in Paraguay with Mikeila's birth, then the USA with Caleb's, USA with Iana's, USA with Esteban's, France with Grace's, USA with Gabriel's, USA with Andrew's, and once again USA with Catherine Marie's birth. I arrived on the very day for Esteban's and Grace's! Whew! That was a close...

Have you noticed there haven't been many Marla's Musings on here lately? I noticed too! I'm embarrassed to say that after returning from a my short trip to the States, I've had a hard time getting back into blogging. My only real excuse is that the pictures I had taken while there are mostly still unable to be retrieved to show you. But the few that I do have, it's time to reveal them! My reason for going! Our 8th grandchild, Catherine Marie Fields, was born on February 17th, 2015. Since I had been present on the day of each...

Walking into the service at Bethel Baptist in Tobatí I received a phone call from one of our son Ben´s good friends. He was driving to the Capital city five hours from where he lives in eastern Paraguay. He had just heard that one of his good friends had been killed in motorcycle wreck. I was able to meet the family, friends and relatives at the cemetery. The friend was 40 years of age and was engaged to be married this May. The Lord blessed His Word to those "in Christ" and ones still without. Life is so short. We are...

What a challenge to minister to children through weekly Bible Clubs. The youth came out of Camp week charged with energy to serve the Lord. They were organized into three groups in each ministry area of the Bethel Baptist Church. Attendance dropped since rainy weather has broken up continuity. If it does not rain next Saturday they are planning a grand finale for the kids. The Word has been faithfully taught and memorized each week. Praise God for using faithful young people.

Grandmas are for stories about things of long ago. Grandmas are for caring about all the things you know. Grandmas are for rocking you and singing you to sleep. Grandmas are for giving you nice memories to keep. Grandmas are for knowing all the things you're dreaming of... But, the most important thing of all, Grandmas are for love. Copied ❤ ❤

The morning starts out after breakfast with group devotions. Everyone meets together in the main building for songs and messages from God's Word. Sergio Escobar was one of the directors with his new wife Becky. And Pastor Juan Carlos Escobar with his wife Alejandra each year direct our association of churches youth camp week. Paul gave one of the morning messages to the group on Daniel. He also taught the younger guys on the subject of purity. His group listened and participated with enthusiam. There was always good competition between two groups. Testimonies were given on the last day. We...

The sweet family that lives on the property and takes care of the animals and the property. The steep incline to our house which will make you huff and puff on the way up. Where we walk of a morning, up and down five times for healthy bodies. The toucans we see in our trees from time to time. Shadow and Duchess New baby birdies in a nest in a window sill. Saying goodbye to your cows isn't always easy. But Hershey was being sold to a friend as a milk cow. That helps!

Today is my mother's 91st birthday! I'm so thankful for her and that God has given her this year to continue loving her God and Saviour. Though legally blind and unable to get around well, she is content and thankful for each day that God gives her. I am thankful too as I get the chance to talk with her through skype often to tell her how much I love her. She has been the most wonderful mother to me! I thank God too for my sister Debi who lives with her and lovingly cares for her every day. A...

While the service got under way, Juan got the beef ribs cooking. Cristhian stood before us with a challenge from the Word. Testimonies from two of the youth institute students and a special number from one of the young ladies, and a time of prayer wrapped up our evening of thanking God for 2014. The meal together, the New Year's greeting among everyone, and then fireworks topped off the evening. May the Lord use Bethel Baptist Church of Tobati in a greater way this coming year of 2015.

Our last class of the year was Good Soil Evangelism. The last class on December 20th involved teaming up to teach the material to one another. One had the opportunity to present it to the young man who was visiting the class. We thank God for the 16 young people who faithfully attended all three courses this year. We pray for each one as they take what they have learned this year to see fruit that remains. We said goodbye for their summer vacation and look forward to a new year of classes starting up in March.

Bethel Baptist Church is comprised of the mother church in Tobati and two daughter works in Candia and Almada. On December 8th we enjoyed our annual church retreat. We started this year with a business meeting led by Pastor Flores. It was an especially uplifting meeting due to the three disciplined members who were restored to fellowship. Two also were accepted for baptism. A time of singing was followed by Paul's message on the Great White Throne Judgment. We were graced with many visitors this year. Close to 150 were fed both spiritually and physically that day. Ladies helped in the...

August 16th is celebrated as kids' day in Paraguay. We celebrated the next Sunday in Almada where we teach and preach every Sunday morning. Then that evening where Paul preaches every Sunday evening there was the kids' day celebration. Also in Almada three people were baptized and were presented their baptismal certificates. Youth Institute has completed two different courses with an average of 17 in attendance Saturdays from 4-6pm. Yesterday a new course began teaching the Good Soil materials. After class we had some fun activities with the youth and then sat down to a meal together in a late...

Lonely because I spent a week at home alone with no where or means to go. Important because in one's lonliness there is more time to spend with the Lord. Lonely because my husband was away in Peru for a field team leaders' meeting like this one. (no pictures of the current one) But important because Paul leads our team here in Paraguay and needs the encouragement he receives from the other men and our administrator. Lonely because I had to miss church today and my SS class of 9-12 year olds that I love teaching. But important because Paul...

Our den/living area The kitchen where my handsome man cuts the meat for lunch. Just off the kitchen where we have our meals, and where we have Monday night date night playing upwords, phase 10, and squence. Paul's desk (not a candid shot!) My Christmas present one year from my husband. Our outside oven called "tatacua". Used for baking the typical cheese bread among other things. Our bedroom where I have my God and I time. Wash room where we wives spend a lot of our time. Thank you for coming with me to my house. How thankful I am...

Paul would appreciate your prayers as he teaches in Buenos Aires, Argentina, these next few days along with 3 other men. He left this morning at 5:30 and should be back Monday morning. They are giving a seminar on Good Soil Evangelism to pastors and laymen.

Mama Fields is doing very poorly just now. She needs our prayers. We thank God that her daughter Barbie is there with her right now for the next few months taking wonderful care of her. It comforts our hearts tremendously that she is there with Papa and Mama. We are waiting word that Mama may be transferred tomorrow to the hospital in Nairobi. Keep her and Papa and Barbie in your prayers.

This young man came to know the Lord several months ago. His wife had trusted the Lord as a young girl. They were married after he came to know the Lord and now attend faithfully in the Almada branch work. Cicilia has been following the Lord many years now but just now came to follow Him in baptism. Four of her grandchildren came along with a neighbor friend to witness her baptism. Thirteen year old Alex had trusted the Lord a few months ago. He attends faithfully on Sunday mornings when he gave up the chance to play soccer. Everyone...

Paul was in his office studying when he came in to tell me that he got a call from our neighbors and that he will be leaving for the hospital. "What happened" is always my question. While playing soccer a neighbor broke the leg of his friend during the game. So Paul will take the boy first to the closest hospital to put his leg in a cast, and then to a larger hospital in a city farther away to get the break taken care of properly. I pray for Paul as he goes on this hospital run and for...

On August 1st, the young men and women who went to the missionary training camp and practicum came home excited to continue spreading the good news of the gospel. They came up with a plan to reach out to the kids (and mothers) of a neighborhood close to the camp. Close to 90 kids with several mothers came to hear their presentation. A few songs, a verse, and a story from God's Word was presented as the kids stood there in the small plaza listening. Each member took a smaller group of kids to present the gospel again. The opportunities...

The group stopped at the entrance of Tobati to climb the steps to see a view of the town. They took to the streets and sidewalks right away to hand out invitations and to ask some questions to get some conversations going. In Tobati the group is finding less open doors to the gospel. However a good group of children came to the one day club. Several kids came after the teaching times to join in with the games. In our very staunch Catholic town where the adults are hesitant to make a show at our church, many will still...

Outreach in the Candia branch work turned out with a bigger group of kids than we had even hoped for. But God brought them in after a morning of inviting. The children were divided into groups according to age while the 8 young people talked to them about God's great plan of salvation. Game time After most of the children went home, the adults began coming for a message from God's Word at their level. The method - evangelism by painting.

Thursday through Sunday we are involved working with 8 young people from two different cities who have just finished 3 days of missionary training at Camp Kavaju. Today, Thursday, we took them to the work in Almada where they visited homes inviting the children to the church for a special program. They also went back this afternoon to talk more with the adults inviting them to another special program. God blessed by keeping the rain from coming in time to do both morning and afternoon and evening events.

With the field team at the guest house for a very big number of candles. - 2002 With the Silvas in NC and little Mikeila and Iana - 2005 With our closest coworkers in 2006. With the field team celebrating at camp - 2007 Again with the field team at camp - 2008 Paul's birthday at camp...with the same clothes as the year before! -2009 2010 - At camp once again with the field team. 2011 - Celebrating with coworkers and two MKs at the Baptist Pastors Training Center. 2012 - Celebration at the ABWE Guest House where most field...

Just a quick note for those who are following Jim and Jenna's journey to the country of Georgia. They arrived at 3AM (they are 8 hours ahead of us) and were picked up by a missionary to take them to their new destination. Jim had arranged to rent a furnished apartment which happens to be on the 9th floor overlooking the city's zoo! I wonder what the smells might be like! But I'm sure the kids are going to enjoy that part. They will stay there at least the first month while they look for their own transportation and a...

Such a special picture of our daddy. It was one of the last times I had with him when he was able to get out and walk around outside with us. He's walking around in heaven now rejoicing that his mind is clear and his legs are strong and worshipping the Lord who he served all his life. Papa Fields with his Kenyan son and his African/Paraguayan son. This was taken just before we left to fly back from our January 2013 visit. Papa is 86 years old. We thank God for him and the strength he continues to have...

Jim and Jenna leave on June 18th for the country of Georgia. A lot of new experiences and challenges face them. Not only a new language,(Georgian) and customs, but also the details of finding housing and transportation. Please join us in praying for the beginning of a ministry to the people of that country. And don't forget the needs of 11 year old Caleb, 8 year old Gracie, and 5 year old Andrew. Though Jim has visited the country, Jenna and the children will be experiencing all the newness soon. Sometimes that can be exciting or it can be overwhelming....

May 17th, 2014 culminated the first 6 week course of our youth Bible institute with 18 students. After 2 hours of classtime each Saturday, they are ready for a break. Refreshments of some kind and then an hour or so of activities ends our time together.

My mother, Opal York, was a farmer's wife for a few years, a pastor's wife for 15 years, a mother of four children, grandmother of 12, and great-grandmother of 14. I honor her today with my love for all the love she has shown us her children and her husband, for her love for her Lord and Savior, for rearing us in the admonition of the Lord, for caring for Daddy his last 10 years of battling Alzheimers disease. Mama is 90 years young! We never know how much longer God will allow her to stay with us on this...

Our guest teacher arrived from PA on Saturday. We put him to work right away by having him preach in the Almada branch work Sunday morning... and then Bethel Baptist that night. After a good nights' rest, he was ready to tackle Monday and Tuesday's classes at the Baptist Pastor's Training Center at Camp Kavaju. There were 26 men that crowded into the classroom from 8 areas of the country to study about the leader of God and his heart for ministry. Paul and Clint Vernoy shared the translating times for the 13 hours of studies during the two days. ...

This Saturday we look forward to Henry Johnson's arrival for two seminars. The first one will be held Monday and Tuesday at Camp Kavaju with my husband and Clint Vernoy translating into Spanish. We are expecting more than 30 men to attend. Then in Asuncion on Thursday through Saturday, he will give the same seminar to a different group of men. Paul will again translate. He is still looking for someone to help him those days. My job is to buy the food. That should be an easy job unless more show up than we expect. Paul has the hard...

The Youth Bible Institute (later to be named by the youth) began on Saturday afternoon with 19 young people present. They will meet each Saturday from 4-6pm for two hours of class study. Paul asked Pastor Juan Flores to open up the first session with prayer and a word of encouraging them to continue what they have begun. May the Lord give these young people a desire to serve Him in whatever area of life He takes them in the future. Whether some serve Him in a full time capacity or in secular work, we need young men and women...

Our son-in-love, Jim Wright, is in the country of Georgia on a survey trip with a director from their mission. Jenna and the kids are home in Greenville awaiting anxiously each email with information. It looks like plans are in the making for the family to move there in the next months. Be praying for the family as they are packing up, selling, storing, and giving away once again. There's excitement in the air for what God has in store for them in that country.

Pray for our kids, the Wrights, as they find God's direction for their next step in missions. God seems to be directing them towards another country since they left Cameroon. More on this possibility later, but for now we would ask that you pray for God to make His leading clear. I love this picture of the family. Jim had been to Texas and brought back dollar store hats for the family. As for the cat, it's one that has adopted them evidently. I know that the children will be thankful to be settled and able to have pets once...

January 12-18, 2014 at Camp Kavaju brought in over 100 young people for a week of Bible studies, preaching, games, singing, fun, friendships, food, and competitions. The theme of the week was "Don't entangle yourself!" Paul's message was on Friday morning. He didn't preach.....but had them do the studying. I was sorry to have missed a picture of Paul's 3 studies to the older guys on the subject of purity. He had some great sessions with them. The green team! The orange team! Fun and coolness at the water slide..... Competition! And more competition.... Sergio, the director of this year's...

I'm praying for Paul during his 2nd study to the older guys this week. He has one more tomorrow and then will speak to the whole camp on Friday morning. Pray that this week of camp will mean change where it's needed in the lives of the young people. Most of all we pray for God to be glorified in each life.

All enjoyed posing in front of the Christmas tree. It being January 4th, we certainly didn't take the tree down until after the 6th which is celebrated here as Kings' Day. That's when the little children get their gift. However kids this big do not receive gifts then nor at Christmas. Our youth meetings are normally held at church, so this was a nice get away for them. We cooked hamburgers on the grill while they played basketball. They enjoyed sitting at the piano and trying out a tune on it with Paul's help. We started a new series of...

Paul gave the end of year message for Bethel Baptist Church of Tobati exhorting us to follow the example of Biblical characters such as Barnabas who came alongside to encourage others. The kids program was led by their two teachers, Monse and Gissel. They decorated the tree with ornaments that told the meaning of the Christmas story. Special music by the children. The youth sang "Al rustico pesebre" and "Tu Belen". Brother and sisters trio sang "Emanuel". The ladies all brought salads and the typical fruit salad while the church provided the chicken. I definitely wasn't a photographer this time...

2005....check out the pictures on the mantel. 2006... then to Greenville, SC to be with our kids in the States for a late Christmas. 2006.... first a trip to Cameroon to be with our kids for their Christmas. 2007.....Christmas with friends and coworkers. 2008.... on furlough in Greenville, SC. 2009..... back home in Paraguay 2010.....our Christmas always starts with reading from Luke 2. 2011.....with all 7 grandchildren who sang for us. 2012.... Mama's Swedish tea ring became the tradition for many years. 2013.....no mistletoe needed for these two.

How do people get to camp for a church retreat? Motos, walking, and riding in a member's dump truck. Some games of volleyball in the morning..... ......while the ladies prepared salads..... .....and Pastor Juan was in charge of preparing the "tatacua" outside brick oven to bake the chicken. The chicken was scrumptious; the rice salad and cabbage salads were too. In all 75 people enjoyed the meal together. We all gathered in the gym for a time of worship in song led by Pastor Juan and the Word with Paul. God's message to us that day was to lay aside...

Or this could be titled..."our visit with our administrator and his wife". We could do the same kind of things with you if you will only come! We have a 1992 Landcruiser that isn't fancy by any means but holds up to 7 comfortably. (That includes us!) Though we hosted Steve and Debi in our home, there is also plenty of room at camp for visitors. And we live in walking distance from our ABWE camp. The area we live in is a brick making town. We took Steve and Debi just down the road from the camp to watch...

This was Cocoa. The last time we butchered, we did it ourselves (I was not included in that). We decided after that experience that we would get people who know what they are doing and know what the cuts of meat are. So...we hired for the wonderful price of about $25 for two guys to do it for us. We were totally impressed. I didn't come down to watch until they got this far with the job. I couldn't believe the size of the stomach! For some reason the guys didn't bring a saw. Thankfully Paul had one and enjoyed...

Our new administrators for South America, Steve and Debi, are with us this week. So we are enjoying seeing Paraguay through their eyes. First of all a trip to the mall where we do our money exchange and many times enjoy our Paraguayan cuisine. After a field team meeting with Steve, we had lunch together and then started our 5 hour journey to Ciudad del Este to do some touring of the Yguazu Falls just acroos the border into Brazil and the Itaipu Dam in Paraguay. That night Steve was invited to preach in our good friend and partner in...

Paul needs prayer for a bad case of poisoning from a plant. We don't know which one nor what to do about it. I guess in the case of it being poison ivy or oak, etc, there's not much you can do but try to alieve the pain and wait it out. That's kind of what we are doing besides putting lime juice on it which takes some of the pain out for awhile. Also he's putting cortisone cream on it and now taking ibuprophen. It's on both arms but his left arm is even swollen from the poisoning. I...

Driving in Asuncion before heading back to our home in the country. He was very conscientious to put up his red flag. Where there's a will...there's a way! We tend to be frugal with what we own....we don't throw things away easily here. It feels good to be back home!!!

Yes we are home! We have lived in this house since '97 and in this adopted country since 1980. So yes, we're home. The house however was a mess due to the terrible wind storm while we were gone that blew off tiles and did a lot of damage to our roof. Little by little we're getting the house cleaned. As Paul said while I was feeling a little teary and overwhelmed, "let's just take it slowly". So today we'll actually finish sweeping and starting to mop the floors. We had an unusual welcome back to the culture! We were...

Arnaldo asked Paul to preach at his church on Sunday so the week of our departure began with tears starting to spill out at every thought of our last few days with our children and grandchildren. Another birthday celebration...this time it was our Caleb who turned 11 on Tuesday. Ben and Sabrina came over to say goodbye. We praise the Lord that God brought a buyer for his car that we have been using all furlough. So we were able to celebrate with them for this answer to prayer. Now we're down to the night before we leave. Jim and...

I was with Jenna yesterday giving her a hug before we left their house. Our time is coming to a close here in the USA and I'm having a hard time as we hug and say goodbye these last moments together. Pray for us these last days to be good and not too emotionally draining.

September was birthday month for our granddaughter, Iana, and myself. I remember 10 years ago when she was about to be born....that I so wanted her to be born on my birthday, the 21st. However due to scheduling, she was born the next day. Here's wishing that time would slow down just a bit while we enjoy our young grandchildren. It seems they are growing up way to quickly! Then we had another party for "Grandmami" that Jenna hosted at their house. What more could I ask for than to be surrounded like that with all of our grandchildren.

Our friends, Jon and Kathy Griffin have returned to the States to be with her parents and care for them. It was a joy to be with them in the home of her mom and dad. Her dad's prayer as we left that home caused us to wipe away the tears knowing that he has been at death's door. God has seen fit to keep him alive and to bless us as he did that day. Jon and Kathy took us to Grandfather's Mountain. Even though we have lived in NC many furloughs, we've never taken the time to visit...

Furlough means weight gain....always! There are just too many good things to eat here in the USA that we don't have there. To start with....really good tortilla chips and salsa. That's one of my addictions on this side of the equator. But recently we had been looking for an affordable fitness center for these last two months of our time in the USA. We were getting discouraged as it seemed impossible with what we had to spend. Our son-in-love just happened to mention to us that a certain church in the city offers missionaries and pastors the use of their...

I love this picture of my 89 year old mother. She is legally blind, walks with a cane or walker, yet she gets around the house and does the simpler chores that she can do. Being with my sister Debi who lives with Mama and cares for her was such a joy. Debi is a wonderful cook too as you can tell here. My two brothers, Gary and Ron came over to be with us and help snap beans for canning. Ron provided a lot of the beans from his garden but Debi added to them from hers. Out...

On July 15th, we left Ellijay, GA to celebrate our 41 years together after having been in churches there. We headed to Atlanta to visit the Aquarium. If you get the chance, it's a great place for young and older alike! Then just a few feet away is the Coke plant. It's interesting too....plus at the end of the tour you get the chance to taste 65 different Coke products from around the world. We went away with a sugar headache! But it was fun anyway and worth the bit of suffering. Oh yes, you walk away with a bottle each...

At our recent missionary enrichment conference with ABWE, we were given the honor of standing before all the furloughing and new candidate missionaries and saying a few words of encouragement to them. We were awarded with 35 years of ministry with the mission. We truly feel thankful for God's help through the years as we have served God in Paraguay. We look forward to another term of ministry with our national brothers and sisters there in Paraguay.

We leave Sunday to be on the road for a month. That will also include going to MO where my mother, sister, and brothers live. We will be in five of our supporting churches besides attending our Missionary Enrichment conference and then a week of training after that. Sounds like a busy month. Prayer appreciated!

Ben's birthday celebration on the evening before his birthday. A surprise by Sabrina. Ben signing over his 2001 Aurora Oldsmobile to us. July 3-5th we had a family retreat in Pigeon Forge....we holed up in our cabin the entire time. We celebrated Grandpapi's birthday.... ...and Gracie's 8th birthday. And just enjoyed all being together in one place for 3 days. Now we are back home in our "Cozy Cottage" as we have named this wonderful place during our time in the States.

In just nine days we'll be on a flight headed for a 4.5 month furlough. What we might be forgetting to cover in preparing our church for our abesence is the question! We've made lists of things that have to be done while we're away, preaching schedules have been mapped out, last Sunday's business meeting to turn over more things was accomplished, and the list is still quite long. We're going to miss our church, yet we're praying that this time away will make them even stronger. We hope soon to see many of our friends and supporters of the...

I'm sorry for being so silent recently. After Jim and Jenna and family left on May 13th, we were busy getting the house back to normal and began preparing for our short furlough. We plan to leave June 19th and hope to get around to many of our supporting churches until October 30th when we head back here to Paraguay. Part of getting ready to leave for furlough means turning over responsibilities. Thankfully there is a young lady ready to take a SS class. This was taken on one of my last Sunday's teaching these precious children. Our grandson Caleb...

Jim and Jenna arrived on April 17th. What a special two weeks we've had together. We have one more week before they head back to the USA to hit the road to visit their supporting churches. We made dentist appointments for all five of them. God allowed them to save a lot of money through the capable dentist and reasonable prices. Enjoying ice cream together..... We saw the famous Yguazu falls in Brazil.... Then our trip to two cities gave opportunities for Jenna to reconnect with good friends from her growing up years in Paraguay. Jenna spoke to our ladies'...

March 15th, Jim and Jenna, Caleb, Grace, and Andrew arrived at the Greenville airport after good flights from Cameroon. Family was there to meet them, welcome them back to the USA, and deliver them to their new temporary home. First stop.....Chick Fil-A! As the kids enjoyed good ole' American fast food, the kids enjoyed that special bond that they've always had together. Ben opened his home in Greer for Jim and Jenna to stay until they come back from their 3 weeks in Paraguay. Be praying for their vehicle and housing needs for their furlough.

Jim and Jenna and the kids are on their way to the States. They hope to arrive in Greenville, SC Friday around 5pm where family will pick them up. A vehicle and housing for the 6 months they plan to be there are still a need for prayer. It's been 10 years since Jim and Jenna have been back to Paraguay for a visit. They hope to be here with us for 3 weeks next month. We are so excited about their coming as well as Jenna's siblings in Greenville who are anxious to be with them again there. May...

The officials in the neighboring country finally agreed to let Jim pay for a month-long Chad visa. He still has to go back this afternoon to pick up his passport with the visa in it. Just to let you know how serious of a threat this is to their family and ministries, I've copied the following below. “An extremist group known as the Nigerian Taliban (or “Boko Haram”) has organized multiple, widespread attacks in northern Nigeria over the past several years and most recently in July 2009.” And of course there have been more recent attacks in Nigeria where...

An update on our daughter and family. They are in guest housing in Chad until Monday when they will start their long trek down towards the capital. It's as yet unclear when they will leave for the USA, because their normal departure date for their 6 month furlough was March 31st. However their coworkers had no plan to leave as they had just been back from their furlough. Please remember them in prayer as they decide what is the wisest plan of action.

We just received word today that our daughter Jenna and her family could be in danger in the country where they live due to an extremist group who have entered their area where they live. In the last couple of days, a foreign family was kidnapped by this group. Jim and Jenna have been told to stay inside after dark for now. Pray that they will know God's peace in dangerous situations like these.

While Steve and Barbie both stayed at Papa and Mama's house, Terry, Sandy, and we stayed in a hotel for the first four nights. Steve would come get us in the morning in Papa's vehicle and sometimes had breakfast with us before heading on over to the house. I cherish this picture of Mama. She was still in the vehicle after a long and grueling trip back from Nairobi that they took to begin renewing their passports. This young man is on call almost 24/7 to come if Papa calls him with a need. We are so thankful for the...

After our week of seminar in Orlando with our mission, we left on January 19th to fly to Washington DC to meet up with Paul's sister Barbie. We met his sister Sandy and hubby Terry who flew in from Zambia where we spent one night in a guest house in Nairobi before their Kenyan Pastor Harrison took us on to Karatina. Paul's brother Steve had arrived from Georgia a few days earlier. Though Papa and Mama looked good, we girls decided right away that Mama had to have a perm before we started taking our family reunion pictures. Sandy and...

We were welcomed by the Heritage Baptist Church, a church to the military, pastored by Rev. Gary Craft. Several from the church commented that they felt like they already knew us. After one Sunday in the church we felt a part of the church family. We presented the ministry in Paraguay during the Sunday School time. Sunday night I had the privilege to preach the Word. It is wonderful to see deployed personnel indicate a willingness to be available to the Lord. Heritage Baptist Church added us to their missionary family in February 2010. We have been blessed...

Our lifelong friends, Pastor Gary and Karen Craft. We've known one another since childhood. They serve in a military church here in Germany. The buildings and homes have murals of Bavarian village life. We took a walk while it was snowing. The Majestic Alps - God's creation!

When Gary and Karen found out we would be in Kenya visiting our family there, they said that we have to come by Germany too. As it turned out, a flight could take us right into Frankfurt which is 2 hours from where they live and pastor. Their church took us on for support several years back which was another reason why we just had to stop in to see them and report to the church. So that became the plan. Their church is so good to them as pastor and wife and gave them a gift to spend five...

We leave on Sunday at midnight to go on our separate ways. It's been a wonderful visit with Papa and Mama and for another week with Paul's sister Barbie. It concerns us to leave them except for the fact that their Kenyan pastors and friends are taking good care of them. Paul preaches this coming Sunday at the Antioch Baptist Church. Then after a quick bite to eat, we'll be on our way to Nairobi. It will be hard to say goodbye on Sunday. Pray for us as we depart believing we'll not meet again on this side of glory.

The internet here is slow. We are having a wonderful time here in Papa and Mama's home loving on them and helping where we can. Paul's brother Steve and his sister Sandra and her husband Terry Washer left yesterday to head back to Georgia and Zambia. His sister Barbie and we will be staying here until Feb. 4th. So we thank God for this privilege to have all been together one more time here on earth. It's something we never dreamed would be possible. But God!! Thank you for praying as many of you knew we were making this trip....

We leave early tomorrow morning, Sunday, for Orlando. We'll be in a seminar for Field leaders for a week. Then Saturday we'll head for Kenya on a very long trip from 1:40pm until the next day at 11:25PM Sunday. We are looking forward to two weeks with Papa and Mama Fields and Paul's 3 siblings who are also coming for this family reunion. From there we'll have a stop over in Germany to be with our very special family friends who pastor a military church there and who support us. Paul will be preaching in their church and presenting the...

The tables were set up for the meal which would be last. But first.... ... An overview of 2012 through a slide show of pictures of the year's activities and opportunities. Then several gave testimonies of God's work in their lives this past year. We enjoyed the children singing, then the Griffins with their son Daniel, and a solo by Daniel. Paul's message was on commitment as the basis to build courage and compassion into our lives as we serve God in 2013. May the Lord take that message and instill in our hearts a new commitment to be faithful...

We met together at the guest house conference room for some good food to start out the evening. A Christmas cheese ball was my contribution along with scotcheroos and peanut brittle. Great food and great fellowship! We exchanged names and enjoyed the fun of giving a gift. After playing some games together, we had a time of sharing blessings from 2012 . Then each one of us prayed as we say goodbye to one year and as we welcome 2013 by asking God to continue to use us in His vinyard in Paraguay.

Our Christmas program this year was very simple but very sweet. My SS class is the 3-8 year olds. Kathy Griffin's class was missing a couple but went ahead with their memorization of the Luke 2 passage. One unsaved mother and her adult daughter came to see her child recite. That's part of the reason we do this.

Our ladies meeting this month was on the 15th. The activity this time was making a candy wreath. They had fun putting it together and then I imagine their children enjoyed them later. We look forward to meeting together to sing and fellowship around God's Word.

Five miles from Camp Kavaju three and a half million people converged on Ca'acupe to celebrate the worship of the Virgin Mary on December 8th. Bethel Baptist Church held our annual retreat. After the service and before lunch we had a business meeting. The three congregations gave quarterly ministry and financial reports and goals for the new year. Our membership list was brought up to date. The people approved a mission's offering for a building project of a newly organized church in Encarnacion. A couple who is ministering in a congregation outside of Encarnacion will be sent two substancial offerings...

We started out by taking a needed picture of our team of missionaries. Fields, Donaldsons, and Griffins - three empty-nesters. Our coworkers had a work team of nine down to work on their church building. So our small number grew to quite a group celebrating our special day of thanking God for so many blessings. One of those blessings is the construction going on at camp with two cabins beings built at the direction of Jon Griffin. The day ended with the work team enjoying the waterslide. It cooled them down after suffering through one of the hottest days so...

Thanksgiving Day means different things to different people. To me, it's a day of worship and thanking God for so many blessings all year. I'm sorry that we have lost the meaning it was meant to create in us. Obviously those who sell have won it over. However you celebrate God's goodness to you today, I'm sure you will be thanking God from whom all blessings flow. I want to thank God for those of you who have shown interest in us and the ministry where He has us. Have a blessed and thankful day! Marla and Paul This...

It was her birthday yesterday. I'm so proud of her and the life she lives for God in that part of the country called the Extreme North. The people that she and her husband are trying to reach are Muslims. Pray that the Lord will help her and her husband and our three grandchildren there to have the patience to endure the difficulties of living and ministering in that part of the world.

Kathy Griffin was our study leader this time. She gave her testimony and then showed us how to share our story of salvation with others. Different groups had to come up with a skit on selling a product.....what your life was before this product, how you got it, and how it changed your life. In this case it was about eye glasses. "I couldn't read the Bible before I got these glasses. Once I went to the doctor and got them, now I can read the Bible well." It was a game to show our life before salvation, how you...

Caleb the last day of being 9 years old enjoying the two new puppies that their dog had. The party members this year had to be just brother and sister since their coworkers have not arrived yet to their town from furlough. But that didn't deter them one bit from having fun! Have you guessed the theme this year for Caleb? His Silva cousins sent the t-shirt. Sack races and then hotdogs over an open fire. What a nice ending to a 10 year old having a great birthday.

Last month we met together as ladies for our Bible study on Contentment. One of the new songs we learned was titled "My Peace". It is what we need to live contented lives in our world today. One thing we've been trying to encourage in our time together as ladies is to have one lady give "her story" of how she came to know Christ. The one who shared this time is in the foreground. It was hard to get up in front with something prepared to share, yet she had the courage to do what many would say, "I...

As of today, we are one hour ahead of EST. When the USA changes, we'll be two hours ahead of EST. Just thought I'd let everyone know. Trusting that everyone who comes to church will have remembered the time change.

For several years we have been making periodic trips to the border town 8 hours away to visit a struggling church. Why is it struggling? Because it has been without a pastor for years. A deacon stepped up to the "pulpit" and has been leading the church throughout these many years. During this latest visit, they asked Paul to bring a Sunday morning message besides bring a DVD to show Saturday and Sunday nights. Sunday morning is normally just Sunday classes for the children. But many of the adults came too. Saturday night we showed a DVD on marriage. I...

As we travelled back from our 8 hour trip to an interior town, I began shooting pictures of the colorful homes. I remember when the lime green came in for clothes....but not exactly for buildings. But then, people's tastes are different in this huge world in which we coexist. By far the different shades of green were the most popular.

Due to a storm that took out our lights for 38 hours, we were pushed back into another era where there's no computer, no facebook, no posting on here, no work online for Paul's course he's taking, no cooking because you have to keep the frig shut to save on the food, (barely eating a decent meal - in fact we didn't. We finally ate a hot dog for lunch today.), little good coffee while almost ruining a pot trying to heat it up, less showering, no washing clothes, and so went our life. However, we did clean the house....

It had been 4 years since we had gone tent camping/fishing. So it was past time to get away and relax. Getting everything ready to set up for 3 days and nights is a job....but my husband packer always gets it in no matter how much we have to take. Set up the tent is first on the priority list. Then relaxing started in after Paul set up our little hammock. Fishing was on the to do list that first afternoon and night. We drove to an area where the fishing would be better and caught 20 very little...

Spring is September the 21st. It's a day to celebrate youth here in Paraguay. So we always have some special activity for that celebration. Saturday morning, the Griffins and Paul and myself decorated the place at camp to be ready for the young people arriving at 6pm. Pictures would be taken in front of the decorated lattice work. This was our co-worker's idea to have cupcakes and display them this creative way. I was impressed with how it turned out. Three of us ladies made dozens of them for the kids to have as many as they wanted. Jon Griffins...

Just in time the temperatures dropped from the low 100's down to the 50's and upper 70's for the first day of Spring today. Also we celebrated Marla's birthday. Birthday greetings from so many friends and loved ones made the day special. We grilled beef and chicken for lunch and enjoyed fresh bread from Marla's birthday bread machine. This afternoon we went in to Ca'acupe to buy what was needed for the youth activity tomorrow at the camp. The evening was free to watch part of a DVD video series that our kids sent for Marla's birthday celebration. Happy...

Pastor Juan Flores gave a stirring message from Acts chapter two in addition to giving his heartfelt thanks to Jon for leading him to the Lord and teaching him in the Word. To God is all the glory for what he has done in this part of Paraguay. We rejoice with the Griffins to be a small part in God’s great vineyard.

The groom and Paul go over last minute instructions. The happy parents of Damarys....Carmen and Benjamin The ceremony begins. The salt illustration of two different colors being poured into one container where the two are now one and cannot be separated. Mr. and Mrs. Cesar Sandaval The reception begins with pictures of the new couple and family members. We felt privileged to be a part of the wedding of a young lady who was just a small child in the church where we ministered in the early 90's. Zully, Benjamin, Sonia, Abner, the newlyweds, Abigail, Carmen, Joni, and ...us.

The day finally came to give out their treat bags. What fun it is to give! There were about five children missing that day so I still have another Sunday left to make sure they receive their bags of candies.

Kids' day in Paraguay is August 16th. It's a day when schools do a special activity for the children. One year we had a very special activity at church with the arrival of our Silva family from the States. Another year we put on a special program at church. Other years we have just given out some gifts to the children who come to Sunday School. Yesterday we went to town to buy candies for the ones who come to church. It's always so much fun to give to these little ones; some have very little.

When I think of our first grandchild turning 10 years old today, I realize that her Mommy and Daddy's time with her is almost half over in the home. We pray for each of our 7 grandchildren that above all they will love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind. Mikeila, enjoy your day today with your friends and family. We love you so very very much! Grandmami

Friday evenings after the soccer/Bible study ministry to the adolescents, we meet in the Bethel Baptist Church for youth meeting. Recently several from the adolescent ministry have been attending also. Though the new ones who do not have any church experience make the meeting a little more....let's say "rowdy", we are thankful they are attending. And we pray that they will continue to come and one day understand their need for Christ in their lives. My sister gave us a game to take back to Parguay during our last furlough. We've been able to use it with the kids on...

It's a joy to teach the little children of our church in Tobati. After teaching 13 lessons we have a time to present them in front of the church to say their memory verses and sing a couple songs. They get so excited when we finish a book since they get to take home all their papers they've done in a special folder. I'm not sure which is more exciting to them.....to show their family all their work or all the stickers they received during that time. I love seeing the face of one of the mothers who for the...

Recently our kids in Cameroon sent this picture of what they do for fun. There are no other missionary families or MK children to get together and enjoy some fun and fellowship. They are all alone at this time in the area they hope to reach with the gospel. There's no outside entertainment in the town....no place to go get a hamburger....no museum to take the children to visit. Truthfully, there is no nothing! A double negative! It takes some creativity to keep the family happy. So this family night it was western night. All dressed up.....and in this case, no...

Due to it being Sunday, we were in church all day. First in the Candia branch work, then tonight in our mother church in Tobati. We plan to go to the capital tomorrow to celebrate a little. But our real plans to celebrate I'll write about when we have them all figured out.

Paul's 60th birthday was celebrated at home with coworker Jon Griffin, then at church with the ones who came and brought finger foods for our Wednesday night meeting (no pictures yet), and then the next day for a cookout among our missionaries after a regular business meeting. Our children wrote or called or both! I think he feels loved and celebrated! And....the more than 54 who wrote on Facebook certainly helped in the celebration. All this made turning 60 worth it!

My 88 year old mother fell yesterday and hit her head on a ceramic cat which not only broke her head but broke the cat's ear off. It bled profusely like cuts to the head often do. She had such a matted mess of clotting blood in her hair that she couldn't even see how deep the cut was. My sister took her to the ER where they cleaned it up enough to put 7 staples in her head. How thankful I am that my brother was there at the time to help her back up. And that my sister came...

A note from Kathy today said: "He is not in ICU, but in the next step down from there. His kidneys failed, so he is in kidney failure, only 16% working. So, he is on a heart monitor and other things. They are still doing therapy on him with his legs and arms. His arms are much better, but one side and legs and feet are not. His speech is not too bad, nor his eyesight, PTL He still gets confused and says things that you don't know about, but other times he is very lucid."We thank God for this...

Jon and Kathy Griffin are our coworkers who live and minister closest to us in the Cordillera area of Paraguay. Kathy's dad had a stroke on Friday and was in ICU in NC. Kathy left Sunday evening to be there with her parents. She is an only child which means that she is the only one to help them through this difficult time. Please pray with us for her dad's health, for her time there and for Jon as he stays behind for now.

Graduation from TTU...with just one little girl to witness her Daddy graduate. Then before long God blessed us with another one on the way. Two little girls made us the most blessed Daddy and Mommy. These pictures were sent to us for Father's day yesterday. Good memories that we cherish.

Through the avenue of soccer, Paul is trying to reach a group of about 10 boys in the neighborhood of our church. Every Friday night he has soccer with them in the church yard, then some refreshments, and a Bible study using the Good Soil materials that our mission has produced. We're praying that they will come to know Christ as their Savior and led away from the world's offer of drugs and crime that so many boys without dads seem to gravitate. Two young men from our church are helping Paul in this outreach. Marcos and Dany then stay...

Justa and three of her and Ivan's children were a part of our church in Lambare in the 90's. I have wanted to see her for so many years. She came to camp yesterday with these handsome children of theirs. And below is Justa and another dear friend, Rosana. She was in our church in Barrio San Pablo in the 80's as a little girl. What a special surprise to get a chance to talk with her at length last night.

We were graced with a special number by Jon and Kathy Griffin, their daughter Rachel and son-in-law Jason. Jason shared a moment with the congregation how at one time they were planning on coming to Paraguay as missionaries. We continue to pray for God's guidance in their lives. After the message from Paul, we had cake and coffee and a gift for each mother.

Her wedding day was like many during those years in 1947 when weddings were in a home without all the expenses of today's times. Had she dreamed of a beautifully decorated church wedding? I do know that she is a very down to earth woman who knows when one is able to do and when one cannot. By 1955 three children were part of her joys and possibly troubles. Gary, Ron, and Marla. She stayed home during the three years her husband studied at a Bible College to prepare for the pastorate. A fourth child was added in 1960. Debi...

It's that time of the year to start up ladies' meetings once again. I've been trying to decide what to teach on this time around. Our last series was on Nancy Leigh Demoss' book, Lies Women Believe. I'm now thinking about a series on contentment. It's something that I need as a missionary wife and mother/grandmother of kids too far away to enjoy. Here are some pictures of earlier years of our ladies' times together. We fellowship, eat, study, do crafts or cooking, and have fun!

Once a year Bethel Baptist Church organizes a soccer tournament at Camp Kavaju. We invite teams of seven players to sign up paying a modest fee. A semi-professional referee is hired for the afternoon. The purpose of the tournament is so that these men come under the sound of the gospel message. Six teams signed up to play this year. An estimated 50-70 people attended the event. Pastor Juan Flores presented a clear and powerful Gospel message in the Guarani language. Marla helped our coworkers Jon and Kathy Griffin run the hot dog stand that helped pay for the event. The...

It's that time of the year again when we'll be harvesting our honey. I need to get all the glass jars sterilized so that they will be good and dry. I understand that any drop of water will make honey go bad. Paul helps me by being the one to squeeze the honey out of the comb.

Paul and I love this dressing that my aunt gave me a few years ago. She's with the Lord now and I think about her almost every time I make it. We eat a lot of cabbage salads just because lettuce from the store is usually quite ugly. But it is good on all kinds of salads including pasta salads.Here it is: Piquant Salad dressing (I halve this recipe) 1 small onion 2 garlic cloves 2 cups sugar (or honey) 2 cups oil 1 t. Paprika 1 t. Salt Beat in blender Then slowly add 1 cup cider vinegar...

Now that we've had our first chipa made in our own tatakua (brick oven), we are preparing to leave to visit more neighbors in the vicinity of the church to invite them to the Friday and Saturday night special films. We're praying for good weather so we can present them outside in the patio of the church. Otherwise, few will darken the inside of the church building. There is a lot of pressure from family not to leave the "faith" of the mother and grandmother. We have found open doors both Monday and Tuesday. We trust that it's not...

Easter is the culmination of Semana Santa or Holy Week. Miercoles Santo, Holy Wednesday, is the first celebrated day in Paraguay. Women in every household around the country prepare a large quantity of "chipa."Chipa is a very traditional Paraguayan food - shaped like bagels, they are made from mandioca flour (freshly ground), corn meal, Paraguayan cheese, eggs, pig fat/butter, anise. It is traditionally baked in a tatakua (guarani for brick oven) - that is dome shaped and heated using fire, the fire is then removed, the food is placed inside and the two openings are closed. The brick oven retains...

We arrived at church tonight to find our building with no lights. Ever since last Monday when our electrician was almost electrocuted while working on the light pole, we've had problems with the lights. But tonight it was more than just a problem. There were no lights. So we called around and had a prayer time at the home of one of our members who graciously opened his home for us. When the electrician fell off of the pole, he fell about 4 yards to the ground and fractured his shoulder. He is laying low but will come tomorrow with the...

is no longer, yet will one day be again assembled on another continent. Dale and Bev Fogg came to Paraguay about the same time we arrived 30 plus years ago to pioneer the plane ministry. Their ministry was to the interior of Paraguay to evangelize and plant churches. Due to several reasons, the plane ministry is no longer a viable ministry in this country. Dale returned a few weeks ago to crate up the plane to send it by ship back to the USA where ABWE AIR can continue to use the aircraft. It turned out to be quite a...

Yesterday, Oreo our milk cow went into labor. We were anxious to see if it's true that the vet who inseminated her is able to make sure you get what you want. We wanted a hornless brown angus. As it turns out....we think we got it.About the hornless part, we'll see. He dropped out at 12 noon the 16th of March.

For Valentine's, the youth of the two congregations, Almada and Candia, put on a program for the youth of the 3 churches. I was so impressed at how they organized themselves to prepare and present a very nice time together.

Ben and Sabrina were married November 5th, 2011. We love our new daughter-in-love! She's also a professional photographer. How cool is that with her husband being a videographer! They do weddings and have a busy year scheduled already. Check out some of our special photos taken while home in the States.

God has raised up a godly man to pastor the Bethel Baptist congregation in Almada. We pray for this group of believers to stay true to God and to live in front of others a testimony worthy of a Christ-follower. Right now their pastor is discouraged. He could use the prayers and encouragement of other believers. We plan to try to do more to be that encouragement to him and his precious wife. Pray for Pastor Juan and Wilma.

We've been having 97-102 temps the last two weeks. Today it's 99. Maybe by Tuesday we'll get the much needed rain with the temperatures cooling down some. We can pray and hope. The youth of the three churches will be getting together tomorrow night at camp for a night to celebrate birthdays. Pray with us for the youth of Bethel Baptist to stay true to God.

We opened the door to our bedroom and what did we see? Water! It had poured heavily that day and little did we know that we had a leak in our roof. However the leak occurred most likely soon after we left for the States. So the drought that Paraguay experienced during most of our time away proved to be a blessing in disguise for us. We had a footlocker at the foot of our bed where we kept our most important keepsakes....like our wedding album and other albums of years ago. There was mold growing on most of them which told...

We're at the stage where we are packing everything and hoping we can get it all in four suitcases at 50 lbs each. It's also a sad stage as we know our time here with our kids and grandkids is drawing to a rapid close. Pray for emotional strength as we say goodbye to our Cameroon kiddos on Monday and then everyone else on Tuesday as we board the plane for Paraguay.

Our family of 15 enjoyed four nights away at the beautiful Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, NC. Our last family retreat was January of 2009 with 2 less grandsons and 1 less daughter-in-love. So we certainly enjoyed a new dimension to this retreat. Our daughter Jenna and son-in-love Jim head back to Cameroon on the 30th of January while we leave the following day to head back to Paraguay. Though now we both take back with us special memories of the joy that it is to be together as a family when God permits such a privilege.Here is a...

I will try to get back on here on a more regular basis. Tomorrow we leave for a few days for a family retreat - all 15 of us. We praise God for these few days together to enjoy some time apart before we go our separate ways this month. Jim and Jenna will head back to Cameroon and we go back to Paraguay. I'll try to get some retreat pictures on here soon.

... I already have. We'll be all together this Christmas Eve for our dinner at Arnaldo and Shellie's and then Christmas Day evening at Jim and Jenna's....once again all together. How could I want more? I've enjoyed making goodies knowing that our family will be eating them too. Most celebrations at this time of the year are in Paraguay. So the peanut brittle, scotcheroos, chex mix, etc are not a part of what we do there. I do make our Christmas bread which is typical in Paraguay. So today I just had to also make 3 loaves to share with...

We have been forgetting to get our Wednesday prayer requests out in time for those who pray for us. We get out of our normal schedules and things slip up. We do have some important prayer requests that we will get out to you today. Thanks for praying!

On Saturday we started the long haul from Greenville, SC to Ohio with our 9 year old grandson Caleb. It was an opportunity to spend some one on one time with him as we reported to two of our supporting churches. Then on Monday we headed on up to the Creation Museum that is in Kentucky, yet close to the IN and OH state lines. The kids love the dinosaurs and the adults love the emphasis on God's Word and creation versus evolution.

Since my last post, which was too long ago, Ben and Sabrina were married on the 5th of November in a beautiful ceremony. Soon after that Paul and Jim our son-in-love began work on some projects around Ben's house where we are living. A tea party at Jenna's house for the "girlie girls". Some visits with Paul's uncles and aunts and good friends. Paul preached in two of our supporting churches and then visits with friends in both. More work on Ben's house. A soup and salad girls' day out at Olive Garden - a gift from Jim to Jenna...

Pictures will have to come later when they return from their honeymoon. Though I will get a few pictures on here of the reception soon. It was beautiful...how can you describe the wedding of your own son to the love of his life without falling way too short on the description. You'll have to enjoy it through pictures and someday, maybe even parts of the video when they have a chance to display it to the world. We are so blessed to have a new daughter in the family. She's not just pretty, she's beautiful inside too. God brought them...

First day...a cookout at Arnaldo and Shellie's.....the men of the family. The 2nd day was Sunday so a picture with all the grands. That afternoon we girls were invited to Sabrina's bridal shower. Pictures to follow of our grands from oldest to youngest.

We're thankful to be on this side of the equator once again and for safety in all the flights. It's good to be settled in at our son's home for the time we will be in the States. We still have no wheels but are trusting God to lead us to something that will last us for this short time. All in God's timing!It's wonderful to be in the same city of our children and 7 grandchildren. And after loving up on them we can start thinking about the wedding at hand. God has given us a lovely daughter-in-love...

Leaving the work here for 3.5 months involves a lot more than just packing bags and getting to the airport. As the president of our mission's incorporation here in Paraguay, there is a lot of paperwork that has to be turned in to the government. Thursday we had our annual meeting with our missionaries where minutes have to be recorded not only for us in English but also in Spanish for the government's requirements. That was accomplished yesterday written out longhand by yours truly, the secretary. (Another of their requirements and then photocopied and notarized by a paralegal.) On Tuesday it has to...

She is to be discharged today from the hospital. However she is to come back every day for 2 weeks at outpatient to receive an infusion of antibiotic. It must have been some strange strain of bacteria for the doctors to keep her from Sunday through Thursday. I'm still not sure that they know just what it is. Mama is 87 and a cancer survivor. I am thankful that the doctors have taken such good care of her along with my sister who has been with her everyday. I hope to hear soon that she home and gaining strength.

Last Friday she came home from the chiropractor feeling chilled. She kept feeling very sick to her stomach the rest of that day. She went to bed early with fever and slept late the next morning. Saturday she wasn't any better and her fever started climbing. By Sunday morning she hadn't eaten anything since Friday for breakfast. So my sister Debi who had recently moved in with her called the emergency room on Sunday morning. She was told to take her in to be checked. They run some tests and sent her home. By Sunday night just after Debi...

Saturday was our church's spring youth event held most every year at our camp. This year besides our 3 church works, we invited a church from the capital that was looking for an activity for their young people. Along with the 54 young people there were about 14 adults. Group games, dinner, an MK speaker who delivered a power point presentation on purity, then dessert.

Coming back from Capitan Bado yesterday, I had my camera out and took some pictures of the scenery as we drove the almost 9 hour trip home. Watch with me as you view Paraguay through Marla's camera lens.

Tomorrow morning we will be travelling 7 hours to be at the evening service of a sister church that has been without a pastor for many years now. A deacon has been in charge of keeping services going and making sure the Word is being taught. How we thank the Lord for lay men like Gregorio who step up to the plate to make sure God's people are being fed. Pray for this church and for God to bring the right man to lead them.

Four of us went to our mission guest house to clean the rooms and get the yard looking nice for the upcoming guests. We worked from 3-10PM. Then went to the airport to welcome back our friends from the USA. We thought we might be home by 2:30AM or 3 by the time we got them settled into the guest house and drove the distance back to our homes in another town. However, their plane was delayed and didn't arrive until after 3AM. We then arrived home by 5AM. Paul had to be up early but thankfully was able to...

Tomorrow I go back to the dentist for a second attempt at a root canal. The dentist wasn't able to get out all the nerve. So I get to be numbed all over again. I hate that part of feeling like you are disfigured almost as much as the shot to numb me.Then we will go to our mission guest house to get it cleaned and ready for our former co-workers. They are returning to the field after 3 years in the USA trying to raise their needed support. Their plane doesn't arrive until 11pm so we will be waiting...

Besides preparing for the weekend services, Saturday afternoon is our discipleship time with a family here at home. The man and Paul have their study outside while the wife and daughters are with me inside at the kitchen table. We're using the Good Soil materials and are praying for the salvation of one of the family members. Then we leave for youth meeting where Paul is using "My Experience with God".

Being back in the USA, after being in a very backward part of the country where their parents are serving the Lord, means new experiences for our three grandchildren. Going to fun-filled Chucky Cheese with their cousins, fishing in their Grandpa Wright's pond, going to a children's museum to experience life in the "olden" days, and visiting Gettysburg to see and learn some American history. And many more days of experiencing the USA are ahead of them in the next few months.

No, missionaries eat pretty much like you do if you are cooking from scratch. A Sunday dinner may consist of a roast, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and cabbage salad as you see below. I cook a variety of American meals like this and also several Paraguayan dishes. Yesterday we sat down to "puchero" which in this case was tail bone soup and "mbeyu" which is a typical dish to accompany a light meal on a cold day. It's made with cornmeal, manioc starch, cheese, and butter and then lightly fried. Yum! But this meal below was also YUM!

Just when we thought summer had arrived after bypassing spring like weather, the bitter cold of winter has returned for a few days. It's now 49 degrees at 2:45pm. The low today should be around 40. Burrrrr! When you are talking about living in a brick house with nothing between us and the cold is one layer of bricks....you are talking cold. Oh yes....no central heat or air in homes in Paraguay. So the little heat we have comes from our fireplace which is in full use today and the heater on the aircon in the kitchen. The bathroom has...

While Paul is out getting photocopies for his class tomorrow and I am waiting to serve our hamburger soup called "soyo", let me tell you what our weekend looks like. Due to the cold weather that blew in yesterday that will continue through Monday, I postponed our ladies meeting today. You may think cold weather is no reason to call off a meeting. Without trying to explain....just take my word for it, it's good enough reason. Tonight we have youth meeting which we will have regardless of the cold. Paul is back in the saddle of teaching on Saturday nights...

we'll be heading to the USA for a mini-furlough and participating in the wedding of our son and future daughter-in-love. We look forward to that much anticipated event. We are thankful that Jim and Jenna (our daughter) and family are back to report to many of their churches and for the wedding. God has provided a vehicle for them in the short week that they have been there. Now we pray for housing in Greenville where they hope to also enjoy some family time where our other kids live.Coming for a shorter furlough time always presents the problem of transportation and housing. God...

And now that their luggage caught up with them, they are staying with our daughter Shellie and son-in-love Arnaldo while they look for housing in Greenville and a vehicle for distance driving. What fun the cousins are having together already. Seven cousins ranging from 9 years old (birthday Thursday) to two years of age. Wouldn't we love to drop in on them. We did drop in via skype Sunday night and watched the happy chaos as they prepared to chow down lots of pizza.

Jim and Jenna and our 3 grandchildren leave today from Cameroon for the USA at 7pm EST. They will be taking a short furlough while attending the wedding of Jenna's brother on November 5th. Housing and a vehicle for long distances are still in need of prayer. They are hoping to settle for their short furlough in Greenville, SC where her brother and sister also live. We also hope to live in that town to enjoy our 7 grandchildren along with our children and their spouses. We plan to leave October 14th and return the end of January. We plan...

Staying with old friends from years ago when Paul pastored in Encarnacion, visiting with former members who are still following God and living for Him, enjoying the beauty of the city that has been transformed by the waters from the dam that has practically made an island of the city, ministering to a good group of believers, old and new, who are becoming part of a good church.....all that and more was our ministry visit to Encarnacion. Paul preached or spoke in four opportunities in a 24 hour period.

We'll be leaving tomorrow morning for the city where we used to minister, a 6-7 hour trip to the south. Paul will be preaching 3 times during the weekend and then will speak to the marrieds' group on Sunday too. We'll head back Monday. Abraham will be preaching here at Bethel for the regular fifth Sunday when the youth are in charge.

Yesterday the high went up to 88 and today it's registering 86 here at 1:30pm. That means it's going higher. That's still cool compared to what our summers are like. But we're in WINTER! I keep checking the forecast and see that we're going to return to our normal winter which is 60-70's in the daytime and 40-50's at night. I can feel for many in the USA who are having some extremely high summer temps. They can be thankful that their summer lasts 3 months instead of our 7 months. I'm thankful that I'll be leaving our summer...

....here in Paraguay and most Latin American countries, a special party is given. Last Saturday we honored one of our young ladies for her "quince" (15th birthday) among the youth group. Our simple celebration started with a challenge from the Word from Abraham who leads the Saturday evening Bible studies. Then Paul gave a word to Gissel as a Christian father would to his daughter. We then showed a power point of pictures showing her as a young girl who has been in church since she was little and her involvement in God's work at Bethel. Each one saw themselves...

Due to the fact that we live 90 minutes from the capital, and the fact that we live near a small town which has no attraction for a date night, and the fact that we enjoy playing games, thus Upwords, Skip-bo, Phase Ten, Racko, and Rummicube with something to eat normally describes our date night. However tonight we've been invited out to have soup and games with our co-workers. Looking forward to another Monday night. It's so much better than Monday night two weeks ago spending in the hospital with my husband after a snake bite. By the way,...

We just received these pictures today of Papa and Mama Fields in Kenya. For her 90th birthday she was able to go to Sunday School for the first time in 3 months. It's so good to see her looking so well. I know that those who know her would also love to see how good she looks. How thankful we are for Terry and Sandy's presence there too which gives the rest of the family comfort knowing that family is there to help Papa in Mama's care.

....are from pictures we take ourselves. The two at the top of the website are: our beautiful Lapacho flowering trees and our road that leads from the highway to our house and our camp. Sometimes it takes almost 10 minutes just to get to the highway to begin travelling to where we want to go. We have a hard time getting someone to grade the road for us. The few times it has been graded, we feel we're on a superhighway! The recent rains have nearly made the road impassable.

The swelling has almost gone down in his arm and hand. The red, blue, and blackness has yet to disappear from both areas. Today he has not felt very good which has been kind of a low day for him. It could be he's coming down with the flu since his wife has taken a bad cold. (That would be me!) If you are praying still for him keep it up. We want to see a normal looking hand and arm before long. Thank you for your interest and prayers on his behalf. (The snake bite was on the...

Our Bible study taken from the Book of books and also Lies Women Believe was an important lesson on what we believe about sin and the subsequent lies about the subject. Afterwards we enjoyed a game and refreshments.

The studies I'm giving come from Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book, Lies Women Believe and it's about the truth that sets them free. Today's study is about the lies we believe about sin like: I can sin and get away with it. Really, my sin isn't so bad. God can't forgive my sin. I'm not responsible for my behavior. I can't overcome my sinful habits. If you've not read her book, it would be a good one to buy or check out from a church library. We do believe things about God, about ourselves, about sin, about marriage, and parenting to...

THIS IS PAUL. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS, EMAILS, PHONE CALLS/MESSAGES AND NOTES FROM ALL OUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS. EVERY DAY IS A GIFT, THAT IS WHY IT IS CALLED THE PRESENT.MARLA HAS BEEN MY LOVING, FAITHFUL, BEAUTIFUL WIFE THROUGH THIS WONDERFUL PILGRIMAGE GOD HAS ALLOWED US TO TRAVEL TOGETHER FOR 39 YEARS. TWO DAUGHTERS ARE GROWN AND OUR GRAND CHILDREN FLOURISH UNDER THEIR CARE. OUR SON MARRIES IN NOVEMBER. LORD WILLING WE WILL BE THERE. HERE IS AN UP DATE FOLLOWING MY CHECK-UP WITH THE MENNONITE DOCTOR THIS AFTERNOON: SWELLING IN HAND STILL PRONOUNCED AND PATIENT IS...

God brought two young people together, one an MK from Zambia, Africa and the other a PK from Iowa, and in His good and perfect will caused them to find one another at Tennessee Temple University. Almost 3 years later, He joined them in Holy Matrimony. Thank you Lord for all that You have purposed for our lives these 39 years. Thank you for a husband who has been the spiritual leader of our home, who has loved You and served you faithfully, loved me and our children and grandchildren, and with whom I want to grow older. Thank you God...

For our 39th wedding anniversary, we'll be heading back to the hospital for the doctor to look at Paul's hand and arm. The swelling kept creeping up towards the armpit after arriving back home on Tuesday. Since then, the swelling is better in his hand and forearm. The upper arm is still very swollen and into the pectoral muscle recently. We are thinking surely it will stop moving on upward. We expect good news on Friday. We'll give the doctor's evaluation on here tomorrow.Thank you for all who have prayed for him during this new episode in our lives.

Mondays are our days to get some things done around the house and then have a date night. One of those jobs around the house on Paul's list was to change the water filter on our water pump that is housed in a small brick enclosing with a lid. He was out working on that while I was finishing up the wash. I heard him call out "MARLA" in a way I've never heard him before. I instantly knew something bad had happened. I imagined a fall. As you probably already know, a snake had bitten his finger close to...

Our son, Benjamin, has announced his engagement to Sabrina Lewis. They have set the wedding date for November 12th of this year at her church in downtown Greenville, SC. His Daddy and Mommy are so excited for them both!

However even though she wrote a note here on our guest book, she didn't say how to find her. She didn't leave an email or how to find her on facebook! So...Janet....if you read this, send me an email. Or look me up on facebook. I'm Marla Fields....there aren't too many of us! Loved hearing from an old friend!

We're starting to get some nice green beans from our garden. Since the summer here is too hot for gardening, we plant in the fall and reap in the winter.Though this winter we've had some extra cold days. It's to get down to 39 by Monday. It frosts at times too but since we live on a small hill, we usually survive the damage from the frosts. Our seasons are opposite from the USA in case you are confused. I grew up in Iowa where my parents always had a garden. Mama canned her green beans and froze the...

Karen Lynn was born on September 8th, 2005. Her life was cut short due to a dog disease that is prevalent here in Paraguay. Though we knew she was sick, we decided to let her live out her days, which she did. She took a walk with us just two days ago. I miss her! She was a great guard dog.

Our son, Benjamin, was born at the early hour of 12:35AM. He weighed 3200 grams and was 50cm long. Yes, he was born in Paraguay where weights and measures are different. So I had to figure that out in pounds and inches. After two little girls, Paul was so excited that his boy arrived this time. We are no less excited now and blessed to have such a man for our son. He has made us proud to see how God has worked in his life. Happy Birthday Benji! We love you so much! (Picture taken at a recent wedding of...

included making cheese from Oreo's milk, something I do about once every 10 days or so, cleaning the training center at camp for the seminar that we are having there tomorrow with our missionaries, washing curtains, and then later on this evening enjoying date night....IF my husband is finished with his preparations for the seminar.

It's the title of a book by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I'm using it as a basis for a series I'm teaching in our monthly ladies' meetings. This Saturday will be the 3rd study which will be about lies we women believe about ourselves.

Arnaldo and Shellie along with their four children will be leaving for a missions trip from their church soon. Mexico isn't the safest place these days from what we see in the news. Please pray with us for their safety and for their efforts there to be fruitful in every way.

While many in the USA are perspiring due to an early heat wave, we're entering our cooler winter season. I'm sporting a jacket here in my kitchen as I sit at the computer. Our homes in Paraguay have neither central air nor heat. We are fortunate to have an air conditioner in our kitchen area which helps me to survive in the room where I spend a lot of my time. In the winter months, if it gets cold enough, we can turn on the heat control on the aircon. I feel for you who are suffering right now in...

Sunday we celebrated Mothers' Day in Paraguay which we'll do every year. But we also were honoring our nation and its 200th anniversary of its independence. That's our once in a lifetime celebration. Founding pastor, Jon Griffin, was our guest to bring the message to the mothers.The meal of grilled beef ribs, two salads, manioc, and Paraguayan cornbread was served and enjoyed.The young people helped us to serve and clean up afterwards to honor their mothers.

Today has been a wonderful day of celebrating Paraguay's 200th year anniversary of its independence from Spain. Today we watched the armed forces parade on TV and were filled with pride for this small and progressing democratic nation. Paraguay has had 48 presidents since its beginning as a nation. Wednesday I took some pictures in the capital of how Paraguay has decorated in the colors of her flag - red, white, and blue.

Today is that day! At least in the USA. I talked with our daughter in Cameroon a few minutes ago. Jenna is not sure if that country celebrates a day for mothers or not. Paraguay will celebrate next Sunday. Every May 15th is their day here. We'll be having a special dinner in their honor that Sunday and in honor of Paraguay's 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain.My mother will be with her other 3 children today at my brother's home for a dinner in her honor. My mother-in-love in Kenya had a special dinner provided by Sandy Washer,...

Yes we have a day to celebrate those who work! WORK! Anyone remember that show long ago? Anyway...today we had a special lunch with a family to honor them. We'll be doing the same again on Monday for the couple who work at our camp. I'm not sure if Labor Day in the USA is supposed to be the same kind of celebration. I remember on Labor Day growing up that we just all labored together doing something around the house. Maybe someone can enlighten me as to what that holiday is really all about. At least here I know...

Find help and encouragement in studying your Bible. Free online Bible Institute. 114 courses to select from.(BBNBI.org)I'm studying a course through Bible Broadcasting Network's Bible Institute. Yes, I've gone to Bible College and have a minor in Bible. But it has been so many years ago. I feel the need for a refresher course, and this is just what I've been needing. You may be interested too. Take a look and see if there may be an opportunity for you to study the Bible or even a quick course on how to better present the Gospel to others. I'm enjoying...

A few days ago, my camera got dropped. Since then the pictures take super light and bright pictures that are unusable. I wonder if there is a solution. I'm sad to have lost my ability to take pictures!

Patricio is the man we call our "caretaker". He is here when we are not to ward off any burglaries. We had Bible studies with his family for many months in our home almost a year ago now. He trusted Christ first. We believe that his wife has also. Since last night at church, their 12 year old daughter now has life in Christ. How we praise God for the family coming to the Lord. We continue to pray for the two who have yet to put their faith in Christ.

How does it differ? Let me count the ways! Thursday noon through Friday are days off for most employees. Ladies are home fixing lots of chipa (cheese bread), sopa Paraguaya (their take on cornbread), and chipa guazu (a type of corn souffle). These traditional dishes come from the popular religion of celebrating Holy Thursday and Friday. I'm supposing it is the idea that we should not be eating meat and regular meals as we think upon Christ's death. Though most years we try to have an evangelistic campaign at church, this year we realized that many of our own members...

Tuesday was the day we butchered Tody, our young steer. It was a bit traumatic for me until the deed was done. I fixed breakfast and lunch so that Jon and Kathy Griffin could come over to help with the butchering. It then took us 2 days to get the ribs cut, some of the meat ground, and all packaged up and put in a freezer. Today when we taste its meat for the first time, I'm happy to know what has gone into its mouth and stomachs and know that no hormones were added to fatten him up.

We like to save Mondays to do something around the home or catch up on paperwork. Paul today plans to get his camp finances in order. This morning he worked on some matters as our field team president. Then we went to pay some bills in Ca'acupe, get groceries, and eat at the grocery store for lunch. We also stopped at the vets to buy dog food, chickie food, and anti-virus meds for the chickens. Now it's almost 2:30pm and time for Paul to get to work on camp finances. Tonight is date night. We'll likely watch a DVD that...

Kathy Griffin and I took advantage of our husbands being gone and had a day for just us. We walked around our small town of Tobati and into several stores just to browse. We pampered ourselves by getting a pedicure and manicure in one of the small beauty shops. It cost all of $5.00 for both. Then we went out to eat at a small restaurant. "What's on the menu?" is always the best way to ask in a small town instead of asking to see a menu. There was lasagna and then one other plate. We chose the lasagna...

We just returned from visiting a special lady who had a birthday today. The pastor's wife of one of the daughter congregations turned 47 today. I baked a cake to take to her and enjoyed a good time of fellowship together. I'm making cheese right now. It's the time of year when everyone needs cheese for the upcoming Easter week. The tradition is to make chipa (cheese bread), and Paraguayan cornbread that also uses a lot of cheese. Most everyone, whether of the popular religion or not, will eat a lot of chipa and cornbread during the long holiday weekend....

Sunday we had the privilege of witnessing a church honor their pastor who has served the Lord faithfully for 20 years in ministry. Pastor Juan Carlos was our youth director many years ago in Encarnacion where we served for several years. When he left there, he and his wife, Alejandra, served the Lord in CDE or City of the East, in Paraguay. How sweet it was to witness the love and appreciation that their church demonstrated to them that night. We felt honored to have been asked to come and preach the message for that special celebration.

Sunday afternoon we stopped along the road during our travels to the City of the East here in Paraguay to make a call to see if Jim and Jenna and family arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya. They had just arrived and had walked to where Terry and Sandy were waiting for them. That felt so good to know that they were in good hands with Paul's sister Sandy and Terry Washer. They were to spend the night in Nairobi and then be on their way to be with Papa and Mama today. We are anxious to hear all about their...

Mama was released from the hospital on Wednesday after more than 3 weeks. She was in ICU many of those days. How we praise God for allowing her more time to serve our God. It was touch and go for so long. Jim and Jenna and family will be on their way Sunday to travel to Kenya from Cameroon to see Papa and Mama. None of their 3 children have met their great grandparents. It's time they know the people they are reading about in the book that Sandy, Paul's sister, wrote. Wish we could be there too! It was...

It is good to be back home in Paraguay. We miss our family but can only be thankful for the almost 2 months we were away enjoying them. I just added more photos to the family section of the Photo Gallery and will be adding more to the other categories during this next week if anyone wants to pop back and take a look.Have a good Lord's Day tomorrow!

First meal with Shellie and the kidsAfter a trip to the YMCA we went to ...guess where!Ben and Sabrina took us downtown Greenville for a 3 course meal at 3 different rather interesting restaurants.To Ben's house for a cookout and a wonderful spread of good eatin'.I left for MO to be with my mother and family in Springfield for four too short days.Debi, Marla, Ron, and Gary....all together for a quick picture.Missing them already!Back in Greenville for 2 days to spend as much time as possible with our kids and getting to know Sabrina better. She's a keeper!One last meal...

Where do I begin to recount the days we were away. It was almost 2 months of traveling, leaving January 23rd to be in a Field team leaders' seminar, after that a week watching our Silva grandchildren, then almost 3 weeks in Cameroon with our Wright children and grands, following two weeks in Greenville, SC, with our Silva family and grands and son Benjamin and his girlfriend (of which four days I traveled to Missouri to be with my family), and then back to Paraguay on March 20th. It was truly a whirlwind trip. We counted that we slept in...

Monday morning early, I fly out to MO to be with my family there. Paul will stay here in Greenville while I'm away for the four days. We're enjoying our kids and grands here, though the time seems way too short. We'll head back to Paraguay Lord-willing on March 20th.

Paul and Jim trying to get their generator working again.Jenna made hamburger buns for some bbq beef sandwiches.They can their meat to be sure to have enough during the rainy season. Jim, who has to do all the marketing, brought home bananas for only the 2nd time from their hometown market. What a nice surprise!Paul preached through Zane B. interpreting. Once again, due to how it could affect the ministry there, we do not include pictures of the people to whom they minister.Jim teaches the MK's after the main service on Sundays.Jim makes sure that there is time in the...

Andrew's 2nd birthday party meal at the Maroua guest house.Jim and Jenna fixed up his newly built office building for our sleeping headquarters during our time in Makary. Caleb showed us around his room that he shares with Andrew.Meal preparation and clean-up takes so much of Jenna's energies.Jenna makes all their bread....buns for hamburgers, bread for sandwiches, etc.

We arrived in time for Andrew's 2nd birthday.We stayed in a guest house in a city about 7 hours away from their home to get Jim and Jenna's truck worked on while there.One day we went to a hotel where the kids took a swim.Andrew checking out the view from the driver's seat.Andrew, our climber, ready to get in for a long trip once again.Five in the backseat made for some close family times.

Mama Fields had surgery to remove a blocked intestine. She's still in ICU in the Karen Hospital in Nairobi but making good progress for an 89 year old lady. At first they mentioned 3 weeks in the hospital. Praying much for her and Papa, Terry and Sandy as they go back and forth, and the Kenyan pastors as they minister to them.

We had many problems in getting back to the States from Cameroon. But thankfully we arrived yesterday and are staying at our son's home in Greenville, SC for the two weeks we have left before returning to Paraguay. I'll be visiting my mother for 4 days in MO next week while Paul stays here in SC. So thankful for anyone who might have prayed for us during our time in Cameroon. Now that we finally have some good internet possibilities, I'll be posting pictures soon of our time there.

Paul just called Patricio who is watching our house while we are away. Someone cut the fence near our house last night. As far as he can tell, nothing was taken. This is going to put him on high alert until we return. Please pray for his safety.

I'm so sad that I've not been able to post pictures of our visit to our family in Cameroon. The internet speed is just way too slow to do much of anything. Pray for our flights both Tuesday night and Thursday. Also for parting grace as we say our goodbyes here.

I've tried several times to upload pictures but have failed. We'll try again later tonight to see if it will work. If not, I'll post pictures of Cameroon and of our kids and grands and our time here in this country when we get back to the States.

On Jan.29th we left the Field Team leader's seminar and moved over to D&D Homes in St. Pete. We had the wonderful privilege of caring for our four Silva grandchildren (ages 8-2) from Sunday to Saturday when Arnaldo and Shellie returned from a week of celebrating 10 years of marriage. We had a great time reconnecting with our precious grandchildren.Then we flew from Tampa to Yaounde, Cameroon where we stayed in a mission Guest House for a night before flying to what was supposed to be the town where Jim and Jenna were staying in a Baptist Mission Guest House....

at the Field Team leaders' seminar in St. Petersburg, FL has been such an encouragement. I missed getting pictures of the two main events: our devotional times together and the men's training sessions each day.Our meetings started out at 8AM every morning with singing together and a devotional time. Then the ladies left to have a time with our administrator's wife who led us in a study on gratitude. The men studied together until 12:30PM every day. Lunch at a local restaurant together gave us time to fellowship as couples. One morning we ladies went to the famous D&D Missionary...

From the top of the water slide, ready for a new experience!Ready or not....too late to turn back!Someone shouted, "MAMA!" Stay away from the pool unless you want to get soaked. That piece of advice came too late for me.

Registration at 5pm Sunday, then the first evening service. Today after breakfast and cabin devotions, Paul spoke to the campers on the theme of Heroes. Tomorrow the first brave guinea pigs will try out the water slide! (Pictures later)There are six cabins and 12 counselors.The 12 were introduced by name.Paul was the first morning speaker.Now it's time to shut off the computer as quite a storm is brewing! It's supposed to storm everyday this week of camp. Pray that a storm will brew in their hearts that will tear down resistance to God's work in their lives.

....honey that is! We try to harvest our honey twice a year. We retrieve it with special gear, press it out, strain it, and put it in jars. We love our own honey! Here's how it looks to those who have no idea how it's done.Getting the equipment ready.Back at the house ready to press the honey out of the comb.We're not sure what this little instrument is for, but we found it in the local grocery store and found that it works just fine.December 2010's bountiful supply

I'm so thankful for the communication that we can have now via skype for just 2 cents a minute. I'm also so thankful for her life. She's been through cancer surgery and heart by-pass, is legally blind, and wears hearing aids. She uses a high power magnifier to read. Her pastor recently challenged the members to read through the N.T. four times this year. She is taking the challenge. God has been so good to her and to me for allowing us the privilege of having our mother.This was taken on Christmas Day, 2010

We rejoice with the news we received today that Gracie has put her faith in Christ to save her. Jenna wrote: "We have sensed that the Lord has been preparing her heart for several weeks now, but with her sweet, agreeable personality, we have not pushed her to make a decision. So, we were thrilled that she came to us with no prompting from us beforehand. We believe that her prayer was spoken from her heart with faith."

It is not finished yet.....but we are trusting God to keep the rains away until they get to a point where the rains won't hurt the project. Camp begins Sunday January 16th! May the Lord use this addition at camp to see more young people come to know Him and serve Him with their lives.

This first decade of the new millennium is almost over. I remember when we all sat glued to our TV sets as we watched 1999 turn over to 2000 - the year we all wondered if something traumatic was going to happen. We should be expectant and desirous of our Lord's return. Maybe it will be before this year closes out. If not, we can expect Him to return for us tomorrow...or the next...or the next. We have had a very nice New Year's Eve. We started out the morning calling Papa and Mama Fields in Kenya for their 62nd...

I would say that this one may have been harmless to us. Though at the time we were quite concerned! Red on yellow, deadly fellow; Red on black, venom lack.""Red next to black is a friend of Jack; red next to yellow will kill a fellow.""Red to yellow, kill a fellow. Red to black, venom lack.""If red touches black, you're okay Jack; if red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow.""Red next to black, you can pat him on the back; red next to yellow, he can kill a fellow.""Red next to black, venom I lack; red next to yellow, run...

Our Missionary Christmas with our coworkers on Monday made for an exciting time together. Beth and I were in the kitchen waiting for them all to come back inside when Paul rushes in for his gun. "Snakes!" There were two and the coral snake came close to our coworker Rich. Rich and Paul both got a shot at it so they are both the heroes for the day. Then after all settled down from the excitement for some Christmas celebration with pizza, egg sandwiches, chips, peanut brittle, jumbles, and a wafer type pastry. Rich and Beth, Tasha and Nate graced...

If you do it by boiling the mixture until it spins a thread, etc....then stop! Make it the microwave way! There's no guessing that way and it turns out the best ever. If you are interested in the recipe...email me! Or send a note via the Guest book. So good! I can't stop eating it!

December 24th is the big Christmas event in the lives of most Paraguayans. A big meal is prepared to eat outside under the stars around 11pm so that everyone is together to welcome in the Christ Child. Fireworks are set off all over the country. By 11pm Paul and I were sound asleep. About 12:40AM we got a phone call wishing us a Merry Christmas from one of our church members who was enjoying special family times. Nothing particular happens on Christmas Day in many homes. I suppose most eat on the leftovers. The majority of gift giving is for...

Paul got the fire going 30 minutes early........waited until the inside was white hot.......raked out the coals and put in the food.....closed it up with the top of a barrel....and waited.Then we enjoyed the delicious results....but forgot to take a picture of it!!!! Sigh..

I'll have pictures up by tomorrow sometime to see just how it's done. I've taken the first picture of the fire going in the brick oven. Second step will be to make sure it's good and hot, scrap out the coals from the wood, and put in the food.

The lights got cut off so I had to quit....so here's the rest of the story. First of a baptism in the morning for two from the Candia daughter work. Enrique and his mother both followed the Lord in this step of obedience. Paul drove Jon Griffin's big truck to bring the members from Candia to witness the baptism at camp. Then that evening in Tobati we had another baptism for Marcos who is 15 and has wanted for some time to follow the Lord in this step. After the baptism in Tobati, we had our Christmas service, then our...

Yes, a major male part cannot be replaced within a week's time, so we had to cancel the Christmas drama that we had planned to do this Saturday and Sunday in three places. I was so sad at first thinking it was going to make a couple of our girls disappointed to the point of discouragement. But so far we have all accepted it as God's will this time around. Maybe we can do the same one next year. Tomorrow night we will have our Christmas service and meal together at Bethel Baptist in Tobati. The church will cover the...

Terry and Sandy (my sister) Washer, Papa and Mama, are on their way home with Pastor James who is their capable driver. At 5:00AM EST they were in a traffic jam outside of Nairobi but otherwise very thankful for God's goodness. Mama is back on her blood thinner and they send their greetings and thanks to you who have been interested and have been praying for them.Praise the Lord that Barbie VanCleave (my sister) leaves December 21 to spend three weeks in Kenya thanks to the generosity of her church and special friends. Her trip allows Terry and Sandy the...

God continues to grace Mama with daily improvement. The Physiotherapist walked Mama down the hall yesterday. I was able to talk with her today. Her speech is better. She was looking forward to being wheeled out to the garden this afternoon. There is a possibility they could go home to Karatina tomorrow or the next day. Thank you for your continued intercession for Mama and Papa!

December 14, 2010 - Mama Fields has regained total control of her left side and her speech has improved. Papa said that they are resting well and Mama's bed from ICU was moved into the room where he is staying. A physical therapist was working with Mama today when I called and Mama might be able to go home in a couple of days. Praise the Lord! Do continue praying...

Thank you so much for your prayers and words of encouragement. I talked with Papa for about 15 minutes this Monday morning at 5:00 AM EST. Mama Fields is still in ICU but should be moved to a private room today. Her speech has greatly improved and she witnesses to everyone who will listen. Initial scans have not yet shown bleeding on the brain, so that points to a light stroke. She will be hospitalized for at least three more days.Papa said that two Kenyan pastors who are brothers, James and Charles, were able to visit with Mama this morning. ...

We called Papa around 3pm EST and Mama was being tested at the hospital in Nairobi. Since they are 6 or 7 hours ahead of us we weren't able to call back knowing that Papa was going to be asleep. We'll be calling in the morning and hopefully will have some further news about Mama. Thanks for praying!

Please read what Paul has added on the left at the bottom regarding Mama Fields' light stroke that she had today. Then we'll update here on Marla's Musings. Thank you in advance for your prayers for her and Papa.

Christmas Bread or "pan dulce" as it's known here is in the oven baking. I wanted to get those Christmas smells going on this hot and humid summer day. It's 95 with a sensation of 110 right now. So something has to be done about getting into the "feel" of the Christmas season. Because we have workers here finishing up my Christmas present (mud-brick oven), we won't turn on the aircon until they are finished for the day. It just doesn't seem right to have them sweating and working hard outside and me sitting here enjoying cool air. As soon...

I think we actually didn't do anything last year as a gift to the Lord for His birthday. This year we gave a ping-pong table for the church. We are already seeing that it is adding a special touch of fun activity. It just fits in one of the classrooms.

I was looking for a picture of an outside brick/mud oven but realize I don't have one. So I will just wait until it's finished and show you how it turned out. I'm hoping to invite church family up during December for meals together here at the house. The "tatacua" will make cooking a pan of chicken and Paraguayan cornbread or "chipa guazu" zip out real fast.

Jon left Sunday to join Kathy who was to meet with her doctor yesterday to discuss her upcoming surgery. We are praying that the surgery will be successful and for a special Christmas celebration there with all of their family. Please join us in prayer for them.

Mashed potatoes, broccoli/rice casserole, and rolls were my hot items....cranberry salad, deviled eggs, and cherrry cheese cake were my cold dishes. The fellowship around the table was as good as the food.... as well as afterward. And Nate, our only MK for the moment, was not alone.

In recent days, the death of a loved one has been brought closer to my heart and mind. My aunt had just seen the doctor to make sure she was fit to make a trip to visit her daughter. She was fine. My aunt was found dead in her apartment and evidently lay there for several days before she was found.My good friend from college just lost her dad after battling cancer. A dear supporting pastor and his wife just received the news that their young adult son who had cancer would not last any longer. The dad was flown down...

Buses here are not only always overloaded with people, but are often in terrible running condition.Standing room only!!!! or...hanging room only!Window shopping....uh, better stated, sidewalk shopping. You do what you have to do.....!!!We just "LOVE" our times of driving in Asuncion.

Jenna had a birthday today in Cameroon. We were able to write through skype since they were in a place that had that possibility. It was so special to "chat" today with her and hear about her day. Her sweet husband made her a cheesecake! How do you like that?! He knew what she would like. And he hates cheese! So he definitely did it solely for her. Hopefully later I'll have a picture to post.

that's lasting longer than normal for me. I started out Saturday morning with it and it's just gotten worse as the days have progressed. I'm sure I'm not deathly sick....just wanted you to know why I've been away from the website for awhile.

is a tatacua!!! That is an outdoors brick oven to bake chipa, chipa guazu, sopa paraguaya, and chicken. There is a tatacua pictured on the recipe for chipa. And pictured by the recipe is chipa which is cheese bread. I'm excited about my Christmas present this year.

....but at least Paul was able to get our pictures copied off the hard drive and am able to use his old HP computer. However it is his study computer so I am not able to have it just whenever. We continue to pray for the right solution to get us back up and running smoothly.

Caleb is now our big 8 year old. He had a wonderful party with his MK friends with the help of his daddy who organized the games and his mommy who made him quite the cake with a camping theme. How we miss our grandchildren and would love to be with them for these special days in their lives.

We're working on Paul's old HP computer that he normally uses only in his office. Monday we hope to take our email/internet/kitchen nook computer into a man who can hopefully restore all that we seem to have lost. I will be very sad as it had not been backed up to the present. Thus...the silence recently. The weather that is normal for October finally arrived today. I'm perspiring and have a fun blowing on me full blast. It's summer weather but not as hot as it's going to be. So I'm saving the aircon for those future days. That way...

Our ladies meet this Saturday at 4pm. I'm beginning a new series of studies taken from Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book, Lies Women Believe. We just finished a series on the Christian family. I appreciate your prayers that we will understand the lies and believe the truths that will set us free. Paul begins a new series of studies with the young people this Saturday night on the Good Soil Materials on Evangelism. We pray that God will use the youth of the church to learn to communicate their faith in Christ with their peers and our surrounding community.Sunday afternoon Paul will...

We were watching the news when the first Chilean miner was brought up above ground through the space-like shuttle on Tuesday. They lived seventeen days rationing food and water and lights while not knowing if they would be rescued or if their mine would become their dark grave. And they survived 69 days total below ground. What is not amazing but something worth repeating is that the men first asked for toothpaste and 33 Bibles as soon as a way was opened to get things to them. When we are put in a life and death situation, where do we...

Mondays are our "Saturdays". It becomes a day to take it easy or do the things around the house that we've been neglecting ....and it's date night! When I wake up and realize it's Monday...."thank you Lord"!

The storm last night was a "gully washer". I found out on the news tonight just how bad it was. Three electrical towers came down besides 60 other power lines. I knew it was an extra bad storm but didn't realize the winds were taking down steel towers. We're so thankful for safety for those who live in precarious housing.

We're not only having an abundance of eggs to eat, we're also having hens going into their "sitting to hatch" season or "crueca" as we call it here. Recently we have had about 9 chickies to hatch and survive. Another hen or two are in the "sit to hatch" stage right now.

Yesterday, she cooked a wonderful meal for both my brother, sister, and my sister's father-in-law and brother-in-law for Sunday dinner. She's just recently been lightheaded and felt little energy. She went to the doctor and he lowered her blood pressure medicine which seems to have helped so much. Her day yesterday didn't wear her out. She is legally blind also so even reading a recipe has to be done with a magnifier glass. I'm so thankful for her and hope to have half of her abilities to move and entertain by the time I'm her age. She's wearing an apron I made...

....is the above picture with the bus. We live just below the hill called "Cerro Kavaju" or Horse Hill. Our camp also is there just yards away from where we live. The other picture which rotates was taken on our trip to Capitan Bado where there are hills or "cerros" one right after another. It's quite the sight up close.

We leave in a few minutes for a border town 8 hours away where we have a sister church. This church has been without a pastor for several years. We make the trip occasionally to help the deacon who is leading the work. This is our 3rd attempt in a recent months to be with them. The first time was back in February when my Daddy died. The 2nd time was last month when our new "old" Landcruiser decided to give up the radiator. We made it half way that time. Now we will see what God has planned for...

Here in Paraguay it will be officially spring. However the forecast says it will be 96 degrees. So the advent of spring doesn't normally mean beautiful weather to us. However it does inspire me to think about getting my house organized and cleaned. I began the reorganization a few weeks back. Soon we'll start taking out all the windows for a wash. Such a job! Oh for the easy windows that some in the States have. Not complaining!

Spring is celebrated in Paraguay as a day for the youth. As a church we also celebrate our young people by bringing them together from the three church works at camp. We usually have a challenge from the Word by one of them, games, and something to eat.This was last year's group. Pray for our spring celebration 2010 tomorrow night.

Germany on my dad's side and from England on my mother's side. What is very interesting is that both sides settled in NC. Many on my dad's side were Moravians who lived in Friedberg, NC or Friedland as it was called. Rowan county, NC is where my mom's side settled which is not far from Friedland. This church is the 2nd Moravian church in Friedland where I believe that some of my distant relatives could be in this very old picture. I love family history. I'm so thankful for my Aunt LaVetta who had the book published for all our relatives...

Bethel Baptist Church which consists of the mother church in Tobati and two daughter branch works celebrated 10 years since its inception as an organized church. Paul will write more later....but here is a picture to see our group yesterday where we met together at camp.

Dogs here are for protection against thievery. We've never had an inside dog. They are loved and fed so that they will be a help in protecting the place when we are gone as well as when we are sound asleep. Our newest puppy is part German shepherd and part Belgian Shepherd.

Our prayer letter...real soon.Our church's 10th anniversary next Sunday.The 18th we'll celebrate spring with the youth of our three works. Spring is also a celebration of youth in Paraguay.Marla's birthday on the 21st - First day of Spring in Paraguay! (added by Paul)September 25-26th an 8 hour trip to minister in a sister church that is without a pastor.

and we're still in the last of our winter months. Spring here arrives on my birthday, Sept. 21st, and we already will have 97 degree weather this week. Last night at youth meeting, Paul put up a ceiling fan over a section of the church where one was lacking. So we are already into fan weather. Of course it would be wonderful to have air conditioning in our church, but so far we've not taken that step. Paul is at a pastor/deacons meeting that meets on Sunday afternoons now. Church service is at 6pm. Would love to have you visit!

It's my 3rd study with them in recent months. Paul will also be with the guys. The need for coming alongside and sharing with them from the Word about their struggle to live pure lives is as great as it ever has been in recent generations. How we pray for our young people to survive the tumultuous teen years and come out on the other side into adulthood unscathed from immoral habits and activities.

Not us but our kids. Arnaldo and Shellie and their four children left for Colorado to preach at a wedding of friends. They were able to spend the night at my mother's house in Springfield, MO on the way and on the way back. They arrived a few minutes ago back home after a grueling trip but thankful to be safely home. We are too!

yesterday around 12:30pm after a drive that took double the time it normally takes. Due to being caught in the rainy season, their intended 2-day trip has ended after 26 days and 7 different moves to new locations. We can praise God that they are finally back home.

I'll post pictures maybe tomorrow of the married's retreat. We were 12 couples in all. I do believe that the topics that God laid on our hearts to share were used in the lives of all of us,including myself.

....that is on the comment part of this website. I felt it would be nice to hear from friends and those interested in our lives here in Paraguay. A few were. But I think it put a burden on the few to keep commenting. So if you want to contact us for any reason....our email is pamafields@gmail.comWe do love keeping in touch, but I don't want the burden to be on you. Thank you for stopping by and reading our updates on the News, Prayer, and Praise section and Marla's Musings. Those who pray for us and the ministry here....a...

On July 8th we were able to sell our '88 Isuzu Trooper. Just two weeks earlier the Lord gave us the opportunity to buy a '94 Toyota Landcruiser from our fellow missionary who was leaving the field. Both are old vehicles and naturally have their own set of problems.We started out on an 8 hour trip Saturday for ministry in one of our association churches that is without a pastor. We planned to come back on Monday. We made it the first four hours of the trip when the radiator "blew". I'm not sure what the technical terms are. But...

were taken #1 on our 38th anniversary here at home and #2 in a tree on our property where wild toucans come to eat the fruit off of the trees. We love it when we spot them. As our son said when he saw the picture...."I'm feeling the urge for some Fruit Loops!"

....and we're freezing while most of our friends and family are sweating! We're thankful for the cold as it's helpful to get rid of the pesky mosquitoes that carry dengue and other such unfriendly bugs. How cold? Well, due to our homes not being insulated nor having a way to heat, we walk around with layers of clothing and have cold hands and noses. We have a space heater to warm up the area where we sit in front of the computer and another one in the bathroom when we shower. We also have a fireplace that does fine if you are...

Sunday morning at 10AM we had our business meeting where one married and two young single men were named as deacons. Both are the single men are Abraham's! Avelardo who leads the Candia branch church work was named "siervo en formacion" which basically means he is a pastor in training. Our co-worker, Jon Griffin, was named Counselor of the Candia branch work. He will continue to mentor Avelardo as he preaches and reaches out in the community. How we pray for these three young men that God will be their all in all in their lives as they seek to...

She had a birthday today. She is now a big five year old. She told her Mommy she would like a snowman pinata and a teapot shaped cake. Now for many that wouldn't be too hard. But in a small town in the Extreme North of their country that calls for some ingenuity. The snowman you now see. I have yet to see how the tea pot cake turned out. But I'm sure my daughter gave it her best. Her party included four other MKs invited for the day plus a sleepover. I can't wait to hear more about her day....

Yesterday after the Sunday night service we along with 15 other Americans went to our camp to celebrate our country's 234th birthday and Paul's 58th birthday. Yes, he's a African born USA firecracker baby. Nine of the visitors were here on a missions trip visiting another missionary. So we enjoyed their presence in our church service plus the exciting games of volleyball that the guys played - older against younger. The older more experienced men won most of the highly spirited games! I think it humbled the younger ones who think youth wins out every time. Hot dogs and dessert were on...

.....such as their children feeling like the other missionary kids are more like cousins than just friends.......such as wearing clothes made from African materials.......such as your couch and chair being made from bamboo.......such as your baby using cloth diapers and not much more due to the extreme heat.......such as there being no air conditioners. A contraption called a swamp cooler helps some.......such as baking cakes for your friends and decorating them because there is no place to pick one up.

It gets lonely out in this neck of the woods. We are so thankful that Jon and Kathy Griffin are back in our area of ministry after their extended furlough. While they were away we helped to cover for their ministry in Candia. Now they will step back in as Pastor/Counselor for the work there. We celebrated their return in Candia last Sunday. Last night in Tobati at Bethel Baptist Church, we celebrated the Griffins return from furlough with Jon preaching and then having a meal together afterwards. Jon was the founding pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, so we and the...

Tonight at youth meeting Paul will be showing a DVD by Ken Ham. We use this series (on creation and against evolution) on the last Saturday of the month. Otherwise Abraham leads the Bible study in the book of Proverbs. After watching and cheering for the USA soccer team to win against Ghana, we're now feeling a little let down after losing 1-2 in overtime. The World Cup Soccer match is BIG here in Paraguay. Now we'll be doing the same on Tuesday when Paraguay plays against Japan. It'll be a difficult game. But we too here in Paraguay would like...

We enjoyed celebrating not only Fathers' Day in our two works but also the return of our co-workers Jon and Kathy Griffin. Take a look at the dads who are leading their homes spiritually and then pray for them. Avelardo, who leads the church plant in Candia, celebrates for the first time as a new father with his daughter, Keila.Then we had a meal together of sausages, salads, Paraguayan cornbread, and manioc. All very typical for a special meal together. The youth sang a special number for the dads who were present.Then all the dads received a gift from the church...

We are happy that Jon and Kathy Griffin are back on the team. However we are sad to see the DeWitt family leave for a pastorate in MN. The Lennon family will be taking a year furlough too. So as we enjoyed a wonderful meal together and are happy that one couple is back but sad that we're losing two more. Soon this long table of missionaries and kids will be reduced to seven people. The Lennons leave July 12th for furlough.The DeWitts received a hammock as their going away gift for their new stateside home.The Donaldsons (across from us), the...

It took them 3 days to get here due to problems with their flights. One never knows starting out on a trip just how it will unfold. But God actually blessed them by allowing their flights to be delayed. They were given two free nights in hotels with food vouchers in Dallas and then another night with rest in the airport in Brazil before arriving on Thursday around noon. After the stress of packing and the goodbyes of family, the extra rest allowed them time to unwind and to actually look forward to their next term of service. We are...

and we're COLD! Though it's probably in the 50's this morning, it was 61 in the bathroom. There are only a couple of bricks that form the wall between us inside and the colder weather outside. That means our two little electric heaters, one in the bathroom and one in front of the computer plus the fireplace in the den are what help to warm us up....if we are right in front of them!

My daddy served in the 101st Airborne division of the Army. I thank the Lord for how he served his country on this Memorial Day. But I want to remember him today also for having served his Lord in whose presence he now resides. I miss him!

Living in the Extreme North of the country means experiencing desert like conditions. I just received this picture today from them. They can barely hold their eyes open. Recently the temperatures have been 120 degree outside with 105 inside with no air-conditioning. They have a contraption called swamp cooler that you add water to a fan that blows somewhat cooler air on you. I pray for them as they endure this very hot season.

are our house. One is from the side garage entrance which is our main way to get into the house. There is one other door and that is seen from the other view of the house from the back patio. That would be our back door. We have no front door!

... for our country. This is Memorial Day week-end. I love the picture of President Bush at Arlington Cemetery with a solemn and sad but proud look in his eyes. I'm saddened that this important celebration is not going to be attended by our present president. Rather he'll be attending a concert to hear one of the Beatles sing his famous song "Michelle" in honor of his wife.

but probably shouldn't. We needed more light surrounding the area at night, so Paul climbed the old ham tower once more as I stood down below watching and planning how I would get him to the hospital if he survived a fall. Remember, I normally don't drive here farther than the next two small towns close by. If he ever has to do that again, I'm going to make sure we buy a special harness that the electrical pole workers use.

is on the list of things to do today. Paul's list includes putting up lights outside for further help against those whose livelihood is stealing. We believe God wants us to be wise in doing what we can to deter them. However, our refuge is the Lord.

so after three days of continual cold and rain, I'm going to change over my closet from summer to winter. June-August are our normal winter months, though we always do get a cold snap in May. But this is starting to feel like it's here to stay. The fireplace is going as of today.....where we sit in the mornings to have our devotions.

Our Mothers Day meeting kicked off our new year of monthly meetings. I'm asking the teen girls to be a part of the group also. I'm so thankful that the three came since I used them to play the game with the ladies after my study, so that I could get the refreshments served. Pray as we continue to meet that we will all become women of the Word.

Our day started with Paul giving me a pretty card and then calling to wish Mama Fields a Happy Mother's Day in Kenya. Then we left before 8AM to drive to the Palma Loma Baptist Church where Paul was to preach their 28th anniversary service. Afterwards they served a delicious meal of baked chicken, potato salad, and Paraguayan cornbread which was just about the best I have tasted. (Mine sure doesn't turn out that good.) We arrived home around 3pm and rested. Our daughter Jenna called from Cameroon to talk. Then we left for our service in Tobati. Back home...

....This was taken in 2006 when I taught them in Sunday School. Now all but one of this group is in our youth group. It's amazing to see them grow and mature not only physically but spiritually as well. Pray as Paul and I will take the girls and guys separately once again this Saturday night to talk about sexual purity.

Though I've got an awful lot of work to do to get pictures in albums....a job I want to do... I just don't know how to find the time and how to get started. Any ideas on what you've done to keep up with pictures?

could you let me know? I realize some of you do not want to leave a comment because you wonder if it's safe. This is a Christian organization that runs this website, so don't worry that they're going to steal your email address. I believe it's entirely safe.So .....would you leave a note saying either yes or no. I would appreciate it so much.Your friend,Marla

At 2pm it's 99 degrees F. Tomorrow it's supposed to get only to 87....and then the rest of the week it's cooling down with some thunderstorms and rain promised. We need the rain very badly and I need the coolness just as badly. But who am I to complain. We just talked with our daughter Jenna and son-in-love, Jim, who are in Cameroon. They are experiencing just about the hottest months of the year right now. It was 120 in the shade and 105 in their house with the help of swamp coolers. At night they sleep outside in the yard...

.... means showing them what the results will be if they are not. Besides the loss of communion with the Lord, they take the risk of disease, unwanted pregnancy, future problems in their marriage, and so much more. We have taken 3 weeks to use a power point presentation on the subject. In a couple weeks we will take the opportunity for Paul to meet with the guys and me with the girls to talk further. Pray that they will see the seriousness of their purity before the Lord.

went something like this: We stopped first in the next town to pay two light bills, ours and camps, and to pick up a repaired voltage stabilizer.Then on to another town on our way to the capital to send a package by bus to a friend in another distant town. Next in that same town we drove into the dirty but organized mechanic's shop where the repaired power steering part was installed. Now we have aircon and power steering once again.A need for more money was next on the list so we drove on to the capital where we exchanged a...

are growing. Well, Tody is growing and Oreo is giving us plenty of fresh milk. I enjoy giving some of it away. Tonight at church I will be taking a couple quarts to a single mom and her family. But a lot of the enjoyment too has been learning to make cheese and making my own butter. There's something about getting your hands into the pot and curling up the cheese in a roll to later press into the mold.

Here in Paraguay where most of the population is Roman Catholic, we see the emphasis put on the statue of Mary more than Christ, even during the holiest of weeks celebrating Christ's death and resurrection. It was still about Mary being led through the streets of our small town. Saturday night as we took some of the young people back to their homes, this is what blocked our way.

...are settling back into their home. I'm imagining how difficult it is getting the dust and bugs and cobwebs off their furniture and taking everything out of storage to make it resemble home again. Your prayers for them would be most welcome.

I know that many believe it is unsafe to drink raw milk. From what I've read, if you believe your cow to be healthy, then the milk should be safe to drink raw. We've had Oreo tested and she has a clean bill of health. We're thankful for that because we bought her without having her tested ahead of time. Since my friend showed me how to make a white soft cheese, that here in Paraguay we call "Queso Paraguay", I've made it by myself once. It was pretty exciting to see it turn out just like she showed me. The...

During what is called "holy week" which is basically Thursday through Saturday, we watch a lot of biblically based movies on TV. For those who are not interested in that, there are soccer games. So far today we have watched Moses, Jacob, and last night the first part of Masada. What else do we do? We make and eat chipa - cheese bread - and Paraguayan cornbread. Friday night we'll be having evangelistic services in Candia, Saturday night in Almada, and Sunday night in Tobati. Be praying that God's Word will work in the hearts of people who do not...

Today a friend came to teach me how to make Paraguayan cheese. I think our cheese may best be described a "queso fresco" that you see in the stores. It's a white soft cheese. I'm so excited that now I know how to do it. It takes 10 liters (quarts) of milk to make 2.2 lbs of cheese. The ladies here usually wait until they have that much to make it. So now that I've been instructed with 10 liters, that's likely what I will do from now on. So the milk can either be sold or saved in the...

Wednesday we arrived...with you know what awaiting us! That night Paul went on to church without me. I could barely keep my eyes open until he got home. It felt so good to stretch out in a bed that night after the 10 hour flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires, Argentina.Thursday we cleaned our house that had a month's worth of dirt collected. That afternoon we went to Asunción to be at prayer meeting with our missionaries. We welcomed in two girls who have come to do their student teaching at the Asunción Christian Academy. So we celebrated by bringing in Pizza Hut. We...

We are so very thankful to be safely home. And of course so grateful that God gave us the month to be with my family and Mama during the homegoing of my Daddy. We arrived on time and drove the 1.5 hours back to our house. As Paul went to the door to unlock it, he first smelled some unpleasant odor and then heard the buzzing of some insect. It didn't take opening the door for him to realize that our electricity had been off long enough for everything in our freezer and frig to spoil. Oh yes! What a...

We've enjoyed many family times since being here for my Daddy's funeral. I'm by my mother, Opal York. My sister-in-law Glenda is next to her. My brother Ron is across from her. Then my new brother-in-law Mike with my little sister Debi completes the table.....except for my hubby who took the picture. I'm going to miss being with everyone come Tuesday when we leave to fly back to Paraguay.

Mama is on the left talking with my Daddy's only living sibling, my Aunt Leanna Martin. In the middle is a first cousin, David Swift. It was neat to meet him as an adult though I'm sure I must have known him as a small child. On his left is my cousin, Beth, who is his younger sister. Mama is doing well though fighting a cold. Paul and I are finding many things to do around the house to help Mama. It's a blessing to be here with her. We have just 2 weeks left.

I just want to thank all who have prayed for us and our family as we have walked through my Daddy's homegoing. I'm so happy that he is now whole and perfect and rejoicing in God's presence. We are staying with Mama until March 23rd to help her in these next days. When we head back to Paraguay then, she will need more prayers as loneliness will set in. We truly have felt God's comforting Spirit.

I've been calling my mother every day up at the hospital while they continue to just monitor my Daddy. It seems that they are waiting for Mama to make the decision to put him in a nursing home. They're not really trying to get him to walk again. It makes us all feel like there's no hope for him to be up and around again. My mother is having a hard time with this kind of decision even though the doctor has made it clear that she cannot handle his care any longer. I'm praying much for her today. The social services...

This is the last picture I have of Andrew taken on January 7th. Jenna had given him skates for the future as a late Christmas present. I wonder what kind of 1st birthday present he received today in Cameroon. Happy 1st Birthday, Andrew! We love and miss you so much!

Once or twice a year one store in the capital of Asuncion brings in products from the States that fills one aisle of the store. I had just used the last of corn syrup that I need for making peanut brittle and caramel popcorn. I thought I would just check to see if it happened to be the time of year that the American products would appear. Hurray!!! The aisle was full! These are the things I bought on Tuesday. I came away a bit poorer, but thankful to have these in my cabinets for awhile.

Paul arrived back from his week of team leader training Sunday night around 9pm at the airport in Asuncion. As he walked out the door that night he felt this blast of heat and thought, "someone has a heater on above the door." He evidently became quite accustomed to the cool weather in Arequipa, Peru and forgot for a slight moment what our weather is like in Paraguay. Though we have some exhausting heat, we also have beauty that other countries in South America do not enjoy. Everywhere he looked in Arequipa, Peru, he saw grey. We look around us...

These were all taken on our property.Pindo Palm with wild parrots feasting on the fruit.Yellow LapachoPurple Lapacho with pine in the foreground. This one has a Guarani name....not sure of the spelling.

Lord-willing we'll be back together again after a long week apart. It's been a lonely seven days here in the house all week. Besides I've missed Wednesday night service, Friday Kids' club, and now tonight's youth meeting. Tomorrow I'll miss both services.Monday's date night will need to include restocking the frig. Today for lunch I fixed a baked potato with tuna in a white sauce. It was so good! Or else I was very hungry. You ought to try that!It's been such a help chatting with Paul everyday by webcam on Windows Live. I'm not sure what kind of a...

Happy Birthday Arnaldo! May God give you a year of blessing and grace as you walk through changes that may be your path these next 12 months. We love you and thank God for the gift of our daughter's husband and the father of our four grandchildren.

It's a project that we usually do together. We usually go over the last 3 months and think on the areas where most of our energies went. Or we take just one area and try to describe it and trust that it will be used to make our friends more aware of blessings and needs for prayer. We often include as many pictures as possible. We know how prayer letters can be scanned quickly. We want something to stand out to encourage our friends and supporters to prayerfully take some action.So as soon as Paul returns from Peru, we will...

The Dowler family who came to do our 3 VBS's in Candia, Almada, and Tobati, arrived home without their 4 suitcases. Later 3 of them were delivered to them. On Sunday morning after they arrived on Friday, the missing fourth suitcase arrived. However, the letters that we sent to be mailed from the States were missing along with the money that was included for that purpose. I used to think all the missing letters was due to corruption on this side of the equator. But I know it happens on the other side too. I'm especially sad that our son-in-love's birthday card...

Oreo delivered this morning with no problems. We're very thankful. We prayed that she would survive since she had some female problems that we'll not discuss here. The little guy is already enjoying his mommy's milk. Our dogs are getting the leftovers. Before long maybe we'll be enjoying her milk.

Monday we were asked to take a teen girl from camp to the hospital to be checked out due to running a very high fever. On our way back home we were driving up our road when Paul spotted a dog that has been giving us restless nights of sleep. Our dog is in heat and our puppy is barking furiously each night trying to scare the dog away. So what's a person to do but to stop the car and throw something at it. Paul got out to throw the only thing he could find, a machete under his...

Esteban turned 5 today. He's already studying K-4 with his Mommy. He had his birthday party yesterday with his little brother Gabriel who turned one that day. What fun they had at Chucky Cheese and then back at the house with friends from church and Uncle Benji. Grandmami even got to get in on the fun by skype video. Praise the Lord for modern technology!

They arrived home without their four suitcases. Then 3 showed up finally. Now to pray in that last important suitcase!!!! No one wants to be without their clothes and the souvenirs that only can be found in Paraguay. Pray!

Shellie was born in Chattanooga, TN while Paul was in seminary. We thank the Lord for allowing us the privilege of being her parents and seeing her come to know the Lord as her Saviour as a young girl. Today wife and mother of four precious children and pastor's wife of the Iglesia Bautista Amanecer, she looks forward to one day being back on the mission field with her husband Arnaldo and four young ones. We love her so very much!

Yes, the Christmas tree and the decorations finally came down today. We have been on the run since January 2nd when the Dowler family arrived. With the 3 VBS's, two church suppers, a trip to the Itaipu dam and Yguazu falls, then to the airport to take the family for their extra long trip home to Ohio....well, there just wasn't time. It feels good get the house clean and looking normal once again.

Matt, Justin, Trinna, and Bob who came from our supporting church in Albany, Ohio, to put on our 3 VBS's this year. What a blessing they have been to us! Pray for the last night of the VBS in Tobati tonight. And then pray as they head back to Ohio on Wednesday.

The game we played this morning was "upset the fruit basket". We divided the kids into two age groups. These are the younger ones. One of course cried when she didn't have a seat. Normal! The Dowlers are doing a great ministry among us. Now we go tonight for the 2nd location where we do the same as this morning. I think we will surely where the family out before this week is up. Coming from snow covered Ohio to heat wave Paraguay....has to be a huge adjustment.

We survived the marathon of 3 drama presentations in just 24 hours. That doesn't sound too hard except for the fact that they are in 3 different locations. Our car was the transportation to get the kids to each place besides arriving beforehand with the stage props and taking everything to the next place. Did I mention wiring up curtains in each place? Oh but all those difficulties were well worth the trouble. Besides the many visitors that came in Almada and Candia, one teen girl put her faith in Christ to save her. The young people thoroughly enjoyed it...

You'll be seeing our Christmas tree on our home page throughout the first part of January. It doesn't come down at least until after January 6th for Kings Day. And since we have a family that arrives Jan. 2nd to help with our VBS's until the 13th, I'll not likely take anything down until they leave. So as you have gotten things back to normal at your house, we'll still be celebrating Christmas and Kings' Day for awhile now.Oh yes, Kings Day or "Reyes" as they call it here.....It's the day that the children receive a present brought to them...

We've been so busy both yesterday and today getting ready for a family coming to help with VBS that we've really not had much time to celebrate. We did watch out the window last night at all the fireworks; which compared to what we saw on the news was nothing to write home about. We did stay up very late though. We were working on our new 2010 devotional notebooks that we make each year. I think it was after 2:30AM when we finally went to bed. We have decided to use the same reading schedule as last year (2009...

I am trusting that God's ultimate gift of His Son Jesus, the Messiah, is a gift that you have received by believing on Him as your substitute and your hope for eternity in heaven. He's my best gift this Christmas because I have the joy in my heart that He is mine and I am His and nothing can remove me from His family. May you rejoice in Him this Christmas season!Marla

Just Wednesday of this week we did something we have been hoping to do for awhile. It's a new addition that we trust will give us not only more in the food line, but will be an investment for the future. She's a half-breed Holstein cow. She's due to calve anytime now. So the milk will not be flowing for us just yet.

After a time of singing, Abraham then gives the study. After that they meet in a circle to discuss their personal devotions, their memory verse, their Christian service. We pray that most of these young people can come up with the $33.00 it will cost for the week of youth camp Jan.18-23. The church is planning to help some. I know that sounds like peanuts to most of you for a week of camp. But for them it's almost unattainable to think they have to come up with that amount.

Someone wanted to know a little more about how Christmas is celebrated in Paraguay. To begin with the custom of Christmas trees and Santa are from other countries up north. The regular everyday person, which translates Catholic, puts up what is called "the manger scene" or "pesebre". In the USA people go around looking at Christmas lights. Here it's a privilege to be thought to have the best "pesebre". There's even a bush that is sought after which becomes the background for the scene. The family has gathered around the table, normally outside on the 24th around 11pm, for the traditional...

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? This week, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code...

Beat well 2 cups of sugar, 1.5 cups of vegetable oil, and 3 eggs.Add 1 cup of candied fruits, 1 cup of raisins, and 1 cup of nuts.Add 1 T. of azahar (which might be hard to find there) It gives it the aroma of the Christmas bread.Then add 1 kilo of self-rising flour and 2 cups of milk gradually and interspersed. Put into greased molds and sprinkle with sugar. Bake according to type of mold. A clean toothpick will tell you it's done.If anyone should like to comment on how many cups a kilo is, I would appreciate it...

We were planning for 60 people and thinking we would have leftovers at our church retreat. So 70 showed up with several being neighbors of those who are members. Here in Paraguay you can never know how to plan for who will be there. It's ALWAYS a last minute decision on their part whether they will be coming or not. So you just take a wild guess and go for it. This time, it would have just been too bad had there been 75 as we were scraping the bottom of the pots as we filled the plates for those...

...for two of our young men in the youth group. We'll be celebrating their birthdays tonight after the study and during the Christmas drama practice. Dany who is going to be 13 runs our Gloria machine that gives us the music accompaniment for our song services. Joel who will be 15 leads the singing in our youth services Saturday nights.

Gary has a birthday today. He is my older brother at age 61. Won't be that many years until I turn the big 6-0. Gary moved in with our parents just at the time when they were beginning to need someone living with them. We are so thankful for the help he has been to them. Happy Birthday brother! I love you!

Paul and Pastor Juan harvested our honey today. He is our neighbor and the only one who harvests our honey for us. We'll wait a few days to put it all in jars. We just cleaned house yesterday and I would like it to stay free of stickiness until it's time to clean again. So Paul said it would wait for as long as we need to wait. Thank you Paul! And thank the Lord for His bountiful supply....I'll show pictures later.

....in fact it wasn't even Thanksgiving here. Of course you know that is an American and Canadian holiday...not for other cultures. So there is no Black Friday either. In fact I reserve most of my shopping for when I am in the States. I do groceries and we buy what is needed, but I do very little "shopping" in the stores here. It's not that there aren't some good stores. There are in the capital. I just don't care for what they have to offer. It doesn't appeal to me. So even if there were a Black Friday, I'd be...

And we are off to Asuncion to spend it with our colleagues. We are only four families on the field right now with our mission. One has a daughter sick with Mono so will not be with us today. But we did invite a family who are new to Paraguay and seem to be floundering. They came with no Spanish language training so cannot communicate with anyone. May we be a blessing to them today and encourage them in the steps they need to get their paperwork started to be able to stay in Paraguay. Have a wonderful day of...

Do any of us girls ever stop needing to hear from our earthly fathers, "I love you, honey." Since Daddy's dementia has gotten worse, those times are few and far inbetween. But not long ago, he got on the phone while talking with Mama. He said those four precious to my ears words. Daddy, I love you as much as ever even though we can't converse like before. I thank God for you and the wonderful Daddy you have always been to me. Happy Birthday Daddy!

.....to get ready for Thanksgiving. I need green beans for my casserole and other things that we can't get out here in the interior. My garden only produced 2 meals of green beans. So sad about that! I'll have to do some fertilizing next year.

For example, today Paul is off to the next town over to get a haircut, have an oil leak checked out at the mechanic, exchange screws for the right size for the 3rd time, go to the municipality to pay property taxes, then hopefully have a car to come back home in (unless the plug of the gear box needs to be replaced). By 1pm we'll have lunch here at the house where I will fix Lomito arabes (meat and veggies in pita bread). This afternoon he will likely be searching the internet for a way to make a water...

This morning's service in Candia was a blessing to hear Avelardo give the Word in such a way that makes it obvious to us that God is calling him into the pastorate. He is filling the shoes as we say. Missionary work is all about seeing men like him realize God's call to preach the Word and pastor their people. Pray for Avelardo and Gloria and their baby Keila.

....are getting along so well that we have too many eggs and too many roosters and too many hens. So the solution came through a member of our church. Trifina asked me if she could sell the extra eggs and hens for us. It was bothering her that we were giving away so many eggs and spending money on feeding the hens without reaping enough benefits. I'm selling the eggs for $1.60 a dozen. How does that compare to what is called "organic eggs" in the States? Not that it matters since I have to sell according to prices here in Paraguay....

Her name is Duchess. She's a pure German Shepherd practically given to us by a neighbor who couldn't feed her. Our other dog appears to have a prevalent dog disease here in Paraguay. So we fear her life will not be long. Duchess was my September birthday present, so we think she is close to 4 months old. The vet says she's going to be big. We just hope she is also good at guarding.

....if anyone who checks our website would like to leave a message once in awhile to stir me on to keep this up. There are many who check to see what's been written but not many who stop a minute to say "hey, that was interesting or that was boring" LOL If anyone has a suggestion on what you are interested in....I'm all ears! Getting a comment is almost like getting a letter from a friend in a far away land. I'm just saying....

A pastor friend gave us a live rabbit today. So it's been killed, dressed, first boiled, then baked with potatoes and carrots. I don't think I've had too many opportunities in my life to eat rabbit. Though it was better than I imagined, I'm looking forward to turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

This is what we found the 2nd afternoon as we came back to our hotel room. Cards and notes that people from one of our supporting churches, friends, relatives, and family sent these to encourage us. How they did that is still kind of a mystery. But one that brought tears to our eyes as we sat down to read each one. We were so blessed by the fact that each one took time to write a note and to send it to CHN.How are hotels in Brazil and Paraguay different than in the USA? One thing, they usually have...

We do not go down our main hallway without taking one more look at our seven precious grandchildren. I call them our treasures. So much of what we work for here on earth will not go with us past the grave on into heaven. But what we most treasure are in earthen vessels that God has given to us for a time on earth. The most precious ones of course are our children and grandchildren. Though we cannot be in close proximity with any of them, we pray that we can be an influence in their lives to inch them...

After 3 nights of the CHN get-away...and two after that for our Field Team retreat (in a less costly hotel), we are now packed up and ready to go back home. More pictures will be displayed soon of our days away and better descriptions of what it was like. Thank you Lord for this special treat!

has invited over 300 missionaries to a city just across the border into Brazil to "as it were...give a cup of cold water in His Name." It's their 8th year to host a Get-Away for missionaries serving outside the U.S. Their goal is for us to be refreshed and encouraged. It's our first year to be invited and encouraged in this way. We are in a beautiful hotel, being served breakfast and dinner, and enjoying the company of many other servants of our Lord. We are thankful for this time away to just rest and relax. I was given...

a family to help with three VBS's this January. We are looking forward to this husband and wife with their two sons and the ministry that they are now planning to partnership with us. Jan.4-6 we will do VBS in the morning in Candia and in the afternoon in Almada, our two daughter works. Jan.7-9 we will do VBS in our home church of Bethel Baptist of Tobati. Then we hope to make a quick trip out to see the world famous Iguazu Falls in Brazil. We are praying even now that God will bless them as they prepare for this missions...

....the churches who have stood by us in prayer and financial support. Many of them have been in our family of churches since the beginning. Others have come along through the years to join in partnering with us. I have a couple of churches whom I don't have a picture of as yet. If you are one, could someone send me a picture of the church building or the congregation. I would be so grateful to have it complete.There are five individuals who also support us with their prayers and finances monthly. IF IF IF you would like your picture...

We hope to have it out before October is over. Why does it take so long to sit down to write a letter to go out to all our supporters and those on our prayer letter list??? Sometimes we try to focus on things that will help you to understand a bit better what ministry in like among us and the people we minister to and with. So what is our week like? Maybe it will look quite different from the 9-5 weekdays that many experience who read this blog. We may highlight one or two things that each day...

We recently attended a seminar put on by New Tribes Mission. We have some friends with that mission who are ministering in some of the 16 Indian tribes in Paraguay. Even in the capital of Asuncion we see many of them who are on the streets trying to either sell their wares or seeking help. So if you come to see us here in Paraguay, we will take you to buy some wonderful souvenirs where you will see them sitting on the sidewalks selling cloth purses that they make. I am encouraged by New Tribes missionaries who are planting churches...

Thanks to the German Mennonites who have been in Paraguay for many years, we have German sausages. We call them "chorizos". And with every cook-out and special meal on the grill we include "chorizos". This Saturday we will be having a cook-out for several men who will be coming to camp to discuss ideas on making our ABWE camp more effective in reaching Paraguayans for the Lord.

Some will remember in our presentation on furlough that he was the young high school senior who spoke to his entire student body to present the gospel. He is now believing God is calling him to the ministry. How we pray that God will continue to mature him as he presently gives out God's Word in Bible studies Saturday nights to our youth group. He is looking for more avenues to get into the schools to reach the youth in our town.

Today after lunch we will be having our first Bible study with the man who is our guard/caretaker (not to be confused with caregiver - we're not THAT old!). His wife and 3 daughters will also be part of the studies with us. Patricio is already showing great interest in becoming God's child. Be praying with us.

Every two weeks or so, we get together with our fellow missionaries to pray for one another and the ministries that we are involved in as a team. Paul and Scott were praying together for the needs of each of our missionaries.

.... comes from the flower that I have posted at the top of the website. Fresh passion fruit is high in vitamin A, potassium, and dietary fiber. Passion fruit juice is a good source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The yellow variety is used for juice processing. (copied) We have one plant growing along a fence line though I don't expect it to give a lot of fruit this year. Our former guard who was killed this year while we were in the States used to bring us bags of the fruit. We mainly used them to make a fruit juice. Here they are called "Mburucuja".

Paul and I will be attending a seminar hosted by New Tribes Mission at their headquarters in Asuncion this coming Monday through Friday. It is a Biblical Worldview seminar that teaches the meganarrative form of teaching the Word of God. We attended a similar one several years ago and profited by it greatly. We look forward to next week's classes both mornings and afternoons.

I do love accompanying Paul as he's asked to speak in sister churches. And it was good being back in the Maranatha Baptist Church of Palma Loma where our ministry began in the early 80's. But it also means being away from our church ministry, both Saturday youth ministry where we assist and Sunday services in Candia and Tobati.

....and then she became upset that she was 6 years old. Later that evening she was again crying about turning 6. "I just want to be a kid." I wonder.... did she think she had become an adult? We had to feel sad for her sadness but laugh just a little too. Thank you Shellie for this beautiful picture of our little Iana.

....when Paul fell on Monday. He was getting a papaya off the tree with a long piece of wood, when he took a step in the wrong direction and fell off the ledge about a yard's distance to the ground. I saw it happen since I was planning on getting a picture of him. I was certain I would find him suffering in pain from a broken hip or leg. It could've been a broken neck. Thankfully I didn't think of that. We're getting too old for falls like that one!

.....for attention. Paul had been hearing a sound that he believed to be the wheel bearings or the differential. Now, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I just know the words he used. He took it to a mechanic in our town of Tobati where he had it checked before. This time the same mechanic found what was causing that sound. I can't say what it was...but it is fixed now. The grating sound is gone. We thank the Lord for good mechanics. And for the wherewithal to fix the problem.

Lunch is the main meal in Paraguay so one we are always sure to eat. After lunch our custom has been to read a chapter in the Bible, then to write down some pertinent prayer requests and some reasons to thank the Lord that day before we pray. Since we had a cold spell recently we sat in front of the fire and had our coffee. Just another glimpse of "Life as It Is" for us in Paraguay.

This is the main post office where we go for our mail. It's located in a shopping center about an hour and 15 minutes away in an area of Asuncion where we do most of our business. From time to time we'll be letting you in a little more on "life as it is" for us in Paraguay. We have had this post office box in Asuncion for 30 years now. All of our missionaries use it at some time or another. Our box is on ground level as you can see. We travel over an hour and half to...

Paul just left to walk the road outside our gate. Why? For exercise? No...he's gotten enough of that in the last 5 days. Our car is in the shop once again with wheel bearing problems. To retrieve it now, he walks outside the gate on the dirt road for 2 miles. There at the highway he can catch a bus, that will take him to Tobati, the town where our church and this newest mechanic shop resides. This is the 2nd time in less than a week that our car has been in a shop. It likely won't be the...

It's date night with my wonderful husband. We're going out to eat at the local hamburger joint. It's called "Ice cream cone" but in Spanish it's Cucurucho... but everyone calls it Kilometer 44. We'll get a hamburger, french fries, and then top it all off with a small piece of pecan pie and ice cream. Did I mention I was trying to lose weight? But hey, it's date night!

First of all, the pictures on the home page are always from scenes here in Paraguay. What you are seeing on the top of the page are things we see here. Secondly, The News Pray and Praise section needs to be clicked on to see the the articles that we've added. Thirdly, Marla's Musings are often going to be things a woman might be more interested in....not so much a ministry report. Fourthly, if you have any comments, you can email us at pamafields@gmail.com or leave a message after an article on Marla's Musings section. We would love to hear from you.Nothing...

This past week could be titled, "On the Road".Our administrator Bob Trout graced our lives in our home both Monday and Tuesday. That of course meant travelling the road to Asuncion and back twice which is about 90 minutes each way. On Wednesday Paul took Abraham with him to Encarnacion which is a five hour trip. They left at 5AM in hopes to arrive in time to see Pastor Pedro before his soon departure for his Eternal Home. God answered that prayer and allowed him almost two hours with Pastor Pedro reading Scripture to him and praying. God called him home just...

Death comes to friends and loved ones who surely weren't expecting their lives to end so soon. In the last few weeks, we have had friends, both pastors, who were in their 40's to leave their loved ones and church family through God's call of "come Home". Right now Paul is preparing to give the graveside service this afternoon of a young man who was pastoring the church in Encarnacion where we used to serve. As I write, I'm praying for his young widow and their five children ages 23 down to 8. I'm wondering what kind of support she...

Our son-in-love, Jim Wright pictured with their daughter Grace Marie, is having a birthday today. This was a labor of love that he and the kids fixed up for Jenna for a special occasion where they are on furlough in SC. Happy Birthday Jim! We love you and thank God for giving us such a wonderful son-in-love!

Last night we were driving home from Asuncion after a long day of Field Team meetings with our fellow missionaries. Our head lights and dome lights kept getting dimmer with every kilometer. Paul was planning on taking the Isuzu into the electrician the next morning to have work done on the alternator. We were praying that we would make it home before the lights went completely out. We were only 10 miles or less from home when I had to use the flash light just to see the road ahead of us. It was getting pretty scary. Then the engine completely quit....

These are some of the neighborhood kids who came to our summer kids' club. Sunday some of them will likely come to church with hopes that we are giving out gift bags. It's the expected thing for a church to do. I'm praying that both in Tobati and in Candia that I have prepared enough for every child who comes to Sunday School. Now to make cupcakes to make it extra special.

Mikeila Jean is having her 7th birthday today. She was born in Asuncion, Paraguay and we were here to welcome in our first grandchild. Now we are once again separated while her Daddy works on his doctorate at Bob Jones and pastors their church. Have a day full of fun surprises our dear Mikeila Jean! We love you and miss you!

Keeping up with the youth group is helping us "oldies" to stay young...at least we hope that is a fringe benefit. Paul, even though he's had two knee surgeries in years past, got out on the floor and played a rough game of soccer with the guys. Paul gave a devotion on Biblical love as they look to a future love relationship in marriage. Those German sausages helped to finish the evening off leaving a good taste in our mouths.

Avelardo and his wife Gloria have their first baby, Keila Betania born August 4th. He is a deacon at Bethel Baptist and serves in the Candia branch work by preaching every Sunday morning. Proud grandmother stands by ready to help the new Mommy.

A sight from our home is this type of palm tree called "pindo". And at this time of the year, we often see and constantly hear the parrots who come to feed on the fruit of this palm. There are some disadvantages living where we do next to our camp, but this has to rate up there in the top 10 reasons why I love living here in the country.

Every other Thursday morning we meet as ABWE missionaries in one of our homes to share prayer requests and answers to prayer in one another's ministries. We usually share a light refreshment first, then the host missionary shares a devotion from the Word, and then we divide up into two's or three's to pray through our prayer list. This picture taken a year ago is in our home with Paul leading. Currently we are only four couples with one on furlough. Our prayers regularly focus also on family and friends back home and the ones who support us so faithfully.

July 30th is celebrated in Paraguay as Friend's Day. That tradition originated in here in 1958 and is now celebrated in many other countries. On Sunday the youth directed the service. Joel led the song service and did an excellent presentation. The youth sang a song. And Abraham gave the message on "Jesus, our best friend." He also is being used of the Lord to lead each Saturday night youth Bible study. Pray for our young people. God is working in their lives.

We had special friends from days gone by who came for the day. I cooked one of our roosters thinking it won't be so tough if I put it in the crock pot. Well... it's the last time I'll fix one of our roosters for company! The crock pot didn't get it tender, so I had Paul cut it up for me (even that was hard!) and put it in the pressure cooker. It was still tough! It must have been an old cock. Thankfully I was able to save the day by having it over pasta with a cream...

I know that there are those who pray for us quite regularly. For that, I am very thankful. We've had some discouraging days recently. It's not something I really want to discuss right now. But at the same time I know that God is giving us grace and teaching us too as we walk through this time. We're also encouraged. It's been several years that we've wanted to put a program on a local radio station in our town. It's finally coming to pass. Paul talked with the owner of the station. He will give us an hour on Sundays at...

With two weeks of camp back to back, Paul has been busy making sure everything is in working order. Since our arrival back in Paraguay, he was named administrator of our camp until August when a decision will be made regarding that position. Last week there was a group of around 60. This week there will be up to 100 campers.

We celebrated one day early today since Wednesday's activities are already full with camp going on right now along with the evening service. We went to Asuncion and ate at TGI Fridays, the newest American restaurant in town. We told the young lady who waited our table that it was our anniversary celebration. So after our meal, she brought us a brownie with ice cream on top to help us celebrate. That normally doesn't happen here! God has given us many wonderful years together. None of us know the future. So we thank God for today and for our yesterdays......

....attending youth meeting, observing Abraham as he leads the Bible Study, helping out when needed with refreshments, driving some home, and just observing how they are growing as teens who want to serve the Lord. It's winter here in Paraguay. Can you tell? There's no heat in the homes, schools, or churches. (Or any building for that matter!) That is one difference you would notice if you come for a visit June through August. Am I tempting anyone? I should mention that we have space heaters for the bathrooms. We even have a fireplace. However you don't notice the warmth unless...

My dear mother-in-love is to have her 88th birthday tomorrow, July 10th. We hope to be able to talk with her via SKYPE on the computer at 6AM which will be 1PM their time in Kenya. She had a bad fall last month where she scraped up her leg and arm and blackened her eyes. How thankful we are that Papa takes such good care of her and for Paul's sister Sandy and husband Terry who are there. Paul's brother Steve who pastors in GA should be there soon for his yearly ministry.We are privileged to be able to tell her tomorrow how much...

Happy Birthday dearest little Gracie! You are our baby girl but you are growing up now to a become a big girl. How we love you!It was so special to see you by webcam at the park for your party. Your Grandmami and Grandpapi miss you so much!

I think this is where Paul would like to be today on his birthday with big hugs from his kids. But since that is not possible, we are having a July 4th celebration at camp today with some of our missionaries. We will grill hamburgers and hot dogs and do the typical holiday things. It's winter here so we'll be making a fire not only to grill but to keep warm by.After that we'll go to youth meeting at church and share birthday cake with them. Right now, Paul is travelling in to the capital to retrieve a suitcase. One...

We went into the capital of Asuncion yesterday which usually means we do around 10 things on our to do list. Some of those things were visiting Pastor Pedro in the hospital and picking up two young men from the USA to begin their mission's trip. They are with us through Sunday morning then will be on their way to another town in the east of the country. Tomorrow is our 4th of July celebration with our missionary families AND Paul's 57th birthday. It's so nice that men don't mind telling their ages. Mine is a best kept secret. Oops...

Our Sunday mornings begin at the Candia branch work at the 8:30AM service. How we thank the Lord for this renovated building where the believers meet. Thanks to those who gave in our supporting churches, these precious people have their own building where they can reach out to their community. Praise the Lord for this young man, Avelardo, who preaches at the Bethel Baptist daughter work every Sunday morning.

Soon our old website address should allow this new website to come up. I trust it will happen soon. If there is some aspect of the old website that you would like included in this new one, do let us know below in a comment to that effect.

a Father's Day note to my Daddy To my dearest Daddy, Though I am far away in Paraguay once again, I am thinking of you on this Father's Day and thanking God for giving me the earthly father that you have been to me and to my brothers and sister. You have loved the Lord God Almighty in first place as it should be. You have been a hard working man all your life to provide for your family. You have been an honest and upright man. You set before your children a godly example of how to...

We arrived back on June 10th. Just tonight we were able to get online for the first time. It was a long 9 days with no communication with family. Just days before we left, we took a group family picture. We can only be thankful to God that we have children who love the Lord and grandchildren who are being raised in homes where He is honored. God was so good to give us such a wonderful 8 month furlough. Praise His Name!

We're sitting in the Santiago, Chile airport as I write. But soon we'll be on our last leg of our journey back to Paraguay for our 7th term. Our last few days have been hectic with packing and cleaning, but at the same time so wonderful. Saturday we all gathered at our son's house for family pictures and a cook-out. Sunday we were together for lunch at Golden Corral. Monday night we were all together for a pizza supper at the Silvas. Tuesday all but Ben, who had to be at work, caravaned to Charlotte, NC for our send off...

Last Saturday we went to lunch with all of our aunts and uncles on Paul's mother's side of the family. Tomorrow our Aunt Lou will be seeing her doctor to see what her options are for treatment for her cancer. How we thank God that she was able to make the trip to Kenya with Paul last month.

Arnaldo and a group from their church will be heading to Charlotte, NC at 4AM in the morning to leave for El Salvador for 10 days of ministry there. We'll be praying for them for safety and open doors to give the Gospel to many there. We'll also be praying for Shellie and the kids as they will be staying. Paul and I will be leaving for NC this weekend and next for our last four services this furlough. We hope to have lunch with Paul's aunts and uncles and supper with our co-workers, the Griffins this Saturday.

With just 3 weeks left of this furlough, I have a problem. Considerable weight gain. I'm going to try hard these last weeks to shed some of it just so I don't hear these words from our friends in Paraguay. "Que gorda!" You can imagine what that means and how that makes me feel. So... at Wal-mart tonight I tried real hard to skip the tortilla and salsa aisle and went for the grapes, bananas, apples, and carrots. It was hard but maybe if I confess here how badly I need to lose weight it will help me to continue...

A new website....a new blog. We'll see if we can get everyone from the old site over here. My best childhood friend's daughter and her little girl were with us tonight at church. It was so great seeing her again and her Precious Faith for the first time.